Falling Stars
by Meirou
Summary: *CH 20*: The time of terror and of explosive emotion will soon commence as the dawning of eternal darkness draws near. Caught in the sticky web of the past, one problem remains--knowing whose side you're on. (Revised: chapters 1-9)
1. Torrents

I do not own Sailor Moon. Are you happy now, you malicious lawyers?! Lol, anyway, I do however, own characters I have created. There will be a claim for them at the end of the chapter they are introduced in.*   


  


Falling Stars  


  


By Meirou  


  
Chapter 1  
  
  
Usagi sighed heavily as she walked home from school that dreary Friday afternoon, cerulean eyes turned downwards. Weeks before, even days, she'd praised the coming of the weekend, overjoyed to have those familiar hours of freedom once again. Yet now, her thoughts and her very existence were enveloped in her destiny: to save the world, to save her friends, and to be strong and never give up. Once in a while, she wished that she could just let the innocents fend for themselves. Let them feel how it is to be powerless, all the while knowing that if you do not proceed, the universe will be destroyed as a result of their lax efforts. For once she wanted to walk away and smirk maliciously at them…perhaps scream and maybe laugh hysterically at them. Her job was so fierce--even emotionally constricting--and yet she never received any sort of thanks.   
  
"What is it worth anymore?" she whispered half-heartedly to herself. An underlying tone of bitter anguish rang out clear beneath the quiet remark. Usagi shook her head, smiling ironically as a drop of water splattered on the tip of her nose. Usagi's glance shifted heavenwards, and she noticed how unusually fast the sky was darkening to a dull, sullen black. "Wonderful, a storm." Following her words, a crackle of thunder and a bolt of lightening streaked across the sky and illuminated the world. The rain then followed its all too familiar entrance upon Tokyo. The odangoed girl drew her light, periwinkle-colored summer jacket closer around herself and shivered.  
  
'I hate rain, and even more so thunderstorms. Just my luck. There's no one home today, so I can't even catch a ride,' she thought dismally. Usagi had no choice but to begin her soaking journey home. Arms hugged around herself, Usagi sped off, feet pounding against the pavement and her streams of gold flapping behind her. Within twenty minutes, she'd made it to her front door, completely drenched. Sluggishly trudging up to the stoop, Usagi's delicate hand slid around the brass doorknob and her eyes flickered with relief. Trying it twice, however, she found that it was locked.   
  
"Where is my key?" she shouted, mildly irritated as she searched her backpack and pockets frantically. Usagi cursed under her breath angrily.   
  
She was locked out.   
  
Her parents were currently away for the weekend, in addition to Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako who were also out of town. "How convenient. All the girls are away for the weekend on school trips. I'm the only one left and I'm locked out of my own _house_!" Slumping down onto the stone steps with a low growl, Usagi grimaced at the chill of the rain-soaked porch. Miserable, she propped her elbows up on her knees and rested her forehead against her palms. 'So this is what being Sailor Moon gets me,' she thought bitterly.   
  
"Could be worse, you know," a sophisticated, feminine voice observed from beside her. Caught off guard, Usagi's head lifted in surprise and she found her wide gaze settling upon a gorgeous young woman of deep, wavy chestnut hair and gleaming, fiery blue-green eyes.   
  
"I can't exactly agree with you," Usagi replied, rising. "Who are you?" The girl stepped closer and held out her hand, her head slightly tilted.   
  
"Hinotama," she answered with a slight smile, eyes twinkling mysteriously. It were eyes such as these that Usagi had learned to be wary of. This individual's, however, held a strange familiarity to them. Her eyes were wide and bright, and seemed to brim with an infinite, possibly archaic knowledge. "It seems that you and I share a similar fate."  
  
"How so?" Usagi asked as she shielded her eyes from the downpour and shook her out held hand. Upon contact between their hands, Usagi felt a tiny prick, almost like a shock or spark. Her already-wide eyes opened slightly wider, but Usagi did well to conceal her surprise. Apparently not well enough, however, for the young woman must have read her thoughts via the skeptical expression she wore, and a bit embarrassed, Usagi broke the handclasp. Hinotama, seeming pleased, bore an expression of delight and glanced up at the sky, barely moving the rest of her body, and smirked. The blonde followed her line of vision and nodded in compliance. It _was_ rather putrid.   
  
Usagi, at this moment, felt the distinct need to address the young woman, and facing her with a calm resolve, eyed her carefully in the midst of such a deplorable environment. Hinotama seemed quite intelligent and controlled, and she carried herself with an air of sophistication and security. It was the fierce, fiery aura of determination and indelible will, however, that irked Usagi most.   
  
"This weather has made things difficult for me."  
  
"Yeah, I'm locked out for the weekend and there's no one who can help me get inside. Basically, I'm stuck!" Usagi laughed lightly as she pointed at her door. The moment she turned her eyes away from the young woman, however, she felt a chill working its way up her spine.  
  
"I see. Things haven't exactly been easy for me either. Finding you has been quite a chore, Usagi Tsukino," Hinotama agreed. Usagi froze.   
  
Her deep eyes suddenly flickered, deep-seeded alarm becoming evident. "I never told you my name," she replied a bit unnerved, her gaze steeling. Hinotama nodded.   
  
"That's true. You didn't," she confirmed.   
  
"You didn't come here for small talk and tea. Who are you and what is it that you want--really?" the odangoed girl inquired, eyes narrowing as she touched a finger to the moon broach in her pocket. The young woman flashed a brilliant, confident smile and strode right past Usagi towards the locked door. Befuddled and rather annoyed, Usagi spun around on her heel, just barely containing her spastic nature as she balled her fists at her sides. "What are you--  
  
Hinotama glanced back over her shoulder, eyes fierce and nearly glowing through a shield of chestnut that swept in front of her glare. Usagi caught herself before saying another word and stood stiffly in place. "I'm opening locked doors," she answered, her tone reading something of philosophy--until Usagi realized that she was serious. Resuming her previous action, Hinotama proceeded towards the door, smiling again, and waved a hand over the knob. Almost instantaneously, the door swung open with a resounding click. The blonde gasped, her blue eyes saucer-like but filled with a growing aversion. Hinotama turned to her and flashed her eyes that seemed to glow even in the darkness of the storm. A loud crackle of thunder rolled appropriately across the sky, menacing in its low grumble.   
  
Usagi's jaw dropped and she half-muttered, half-stammered--with a glazed look in her eyes--something to the effect of: "I can't believe this is happening..."  
  
"Would you rather we talk inside, or here in the pouring rain?" Hinotama said simply, both her tone and her eyes taunting. The young blonde, in all of her seventeen years, had never met such a defiant, intruding, downright rude person in her entire life. And somehow...it felt...familiar. Not really quite sure _what_ to do, Usagi glared at her and slowly entered her home, filled with a dark caution. Something was not right with this girl. Appearing suddenly out of the blue, blessed with a strange and unknown power? As if that could be considered normal in Tokyo of all places...  
  
Filing into the house one after the other, the two girls entered the house in silence as Usagi hung her soaked jacket on the wallpeg to dry. She cast Hinotama a wary glance, keeping a distance between them as they moved towards the living room. Usagi soon noticed that Hinotama was wearing no such coat; as a matter of fact, she was wearing jean shorts and a navy halter-top…and yet she was entirely dry, even despite their prolonged meeting in the pouring rain.  
  
After promptly, though icily ushering the young woman into the living room, Usagi folded her arms and stared at Hinotama. "Please tell me that this is some kind of sick joke. Opening doors? You're one of those door-to-door magic trick people, aren't you?" Usagi demanded, still maintaing a distance.  
  
"Door-to-door magic tricks?" Hinotama repeated in question-form.  
  
'A lot like Catsy selling makeup,' the blonde reflected with a comical smirk, but Usagi quickly returned her thoughts to the matter at hand. Hinotama stood unaffected, her eyes glowing as she smiled. Her lips curled upwards in a wicked smile, and soon a melodious sound---that of laughter--soon filled the quaint room. "What are you laughing at?!" the moon rabbit shouted, becoming irritated beyond belief.  
  
"I was smart in searching for you after all," Hinotama laughed. Usagi tilted her head to the side and glared daggers. "Now, let's not be hasty, Usagi. After all, I happen to know that you are going through a time of great antipathy for your duties."  
  
"Duties?" Usagi interrupted, holding up a hand. "Now just one minute, honey. I think perhaps you have the wrong person--I mean, after all, sometimes patients _do_ get lost on their way to the mental institution..."  
  
"Aren't we demure," Hinotama countered, but then continued after a moment's silence. "Usagi-san, I _know_ what it's like. Therefore, I am here to teach you something."  
  
"Luna, I believe, has done a fine job of that. To be honest, I find that fact that you know my name, where I live, and have a distinct knowledge of my so-called duties, rather scary. Now I suggest that you come clean and run back to satan's master and--  
  
"I come from a world filled with darkness; one so dark even your powers combined with the others cannot penetrate it. But you alone can help us. You possess something inside that you, like I, were born with," Hinotama cut in, eyes fierce and slightly-narrowed. "This is no laughing matter." But just as her dark, intense expression came...it faded to a rather light and bouncy one, accented mostly by another smile. Her long chestnut hair swayed as she made herself at home on the living room couch.  
  
"What do you think you're doing? Get out of my house!" Usagi shouted furiously as she stepped forwards, making her way over to the coffee table. "I don't know what your problem is, or what you want with me, but _I_ know that I want _you_ out. Now." Seeing that the woman had no intention of moving, Usagi's balled fists shot to her sides and her eyes flared with an angry fire. Hinotama rolled her eyes, rose from the couch, and stood directly in front of Usagi with a fierce expression.   
  
"Listen, Usagi-san, let's cut to the chase. You may not enjoy being Sailor Moon, here in a world with little problems compared to mine. You take this as a curse, yet it is a blessing to have a strength inside, a gift that enables you to change life itself! But alone, you are nothing. You and I have been chosen, chosen to take on a new life, filled with challenge and responsibility. You may have been a reckless teeny bopper here, girl, but in my world, a single, even quite miniscule mistake could end your life…not to mention the universe," Hinotama continued, staring Usagi down though they stood at an equal height. "Are we done playing games?" The odangoed girl cringed slightly, though simultaneously furious and bewildered.  
  
"How do you know about me? What _gift_ that we share? What do you want?" Usagi exclaimed, flailing her arms.   
  
Hinotama turned a cool gaze on her, and cocked her head to the side. "I opened the door...are you willing to step through it?" she inquired cryptically. Hinotama stepped back a few feet from Usagi and closed her eyes as she was enveloped in a deep concentration. Usagi eyed her for a moment, brows raised. Suddenly, the feeling of familiarity rushed back to beyond-irritated hostess, and before her eyes the mystery began to unfold.   
  
A bright orange light burst out from around the young woman and wrapped around her body like great, flapping ribbons. A gown of silken, sunburnt orange fabric--like that of the sunset--graced her slim, strong body and draped over her now-bare feet. Thin straps of the same material tied behind her neck in a halter-fashion. In an equally attractive manner, a fringe-like necklace composed of shimmering amber hung against her tanned skin, clasping beneath her shining hair at the nape of her neck. Around her wrists were slim, delicate bracelets of amber, matching the necklace. Each sported a small charm that resembled celestial bodies like that of the sun and the stars. In moments, her eyes flickered open and soon enough, a brightly glowing symbol emerged upon her forehead.   
  
A golden sun.   
  
Hinotama's hair fell around her beautifully, swaying gently with the light. Her eyes were bright and glowing with a splendor far surpassing anything Usagi had ever seen or known. The blonde gulped nervously, stepping back and automatically reaching for her locket. "But I-  
  
"Don't you see, Usagi?" Hinotama inquired gently, a complete contrast to her prior tone of superiority and strength. Usagi now saw who the young woman had been concealing. The strangely warm, but at the same time, icy aura burned through and many things were beginning to become clear. " You are the bearer of the Moon, the Princess who holds incredible power in her very hands. Now you have met your other half, Usagi…"  
  
"Y-You look like me when I'm--  
  
"Yes, Usagi-san. The Moon now meets the Sun," Hinotama cut in, glowing with an awesome radiance. "We're sisters."   
  
Usagi's heart stopped and in that moment the entire world shattered like glass and fell around her in sprinkling shards. The Sun and the Moon…bodies of the heavens…the eternal bearers of power: now reunited.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~To be Continued~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
*Hinotama is my character, I own her! Don't forget that! I hope I've snagged your interest thus far--I can promise it will be a wild ride to remember! ^__^  
  
  
Chapter 1 rewritten and revised as of 1/4/2002  
  
  
  
  



	2. Dizzy Up the Princess

  


I do not own Sailor Moon.  But I own Hinotama.  Hah!  Stupid lawyers!  lol, please enjoy and as always R & R!!!  
  
Falling Stars  


  
Chapter 2  
  
Usagi's already saucer-like gaze widened slightly, and she had to take a step backwards to keep her balance from collapsing to the floor out of shock. Her long golden streams, hanging behind her, swung wildly as she spun around and turned her back to Hinotama. Usagi leaned forwards slightly, remembering the technique that placing your head between your knees often helped in reducing nausea. Placing a hand upon either knee, her chest heaved as she struggled to regain her composure--which ultimately failed. For as she finally straightened her stance, in a moment of sheer delirium, Usagi unharnessed a wild, ear-splitting scream from her banshee-like vocals. Cheeks reddened, heart pounding, and feeling rather dizzy, Usagi thought distantly in the back of her mind that Rei would be proud.   
  
"Well, now that my ears are bleeding, perhaps we could talk?" Hinotama suggested after a moment, her calm voice slicing through the silent tension. Usagi, however, remained in shock and couldn't move, though her mind was racing and reeling, swirling with unthinkable thoughts.  This girl...this _stranger_...family? It could not be! Throughout the Silver Millennium, Selenity of the Moon was an only child, raised under the wise hand of her mother, the Queen. It was also foretold that someday, Chibi-Usa would the off-spring of both she and Mamoru. The thought of _another_ family member had never risen...  
  
Usagi at once decided that this young woman was clearly insane. Hinotama, the Sun Princess, her sister?  None of this made sense…but something deep within the Odango Atama told her it might be a sign of sorts--perhaps the wielding of a new strength that would be coming their way? Then again, why should she care? It's not as if her "duties" were a priority at this point--nor did she need anymore unecessary distractions. Right off the bat, Usagi was ready to tell this fruitcake to pack it up and book it.   
  
"Talk," Usagi said plainly once she had regained her composure, her eyes flickering with disbelief at this girl's audacity. "You want to...talk?"   
  
The still faintly glowing young woman nodded blatantly, and gave a little sigh as her aura faded and her form returned to normal. "Either that or we could be on our way." Usagi nearly fell onto the floor in total shock after the utterance of such a statement.   
  
"On our way? Well, let me tell you something..._honey_. I can tell you right now that _your_ way is of the single variety...in which you walk out that door and intend never to return. Ever," Usagi snapped, enunciating the last syllable. Seeing that her words were apparently lost, or otherwise ignored, the blonde allowed her posture to slouch and her arms hung lazily at her sides as an attitude of defeat set in. All she could do was stare and wonder how she could deny such a possibility--especially when the girl had revealed her true form. At least she wasn't an enemy, yet anyway.   
  
"Why _are_ you staring?" Hinotama taunted. "It's nothing you haven't seen before, Usagi-san--Sister."    
  
"You do realize that you are insane, right? I mean, you're crazy! I don't believe this is happening!  You waltz in and claim to be my sister…this is ridiculous!" Usagi stammered, eyes bulging. "It's utterly impossible."  
  
"So once was 'Moon Prism Power, Makeup.'"  
  
"I'm convinced! You're a sociopath _and_ a spy." The nearly-comical situation quickly died as Hinotama's entrancing, mysterious mood changed to one of sheer business.   
  
"Please, Usagi," she spat, coolly dismissing the jeer. "If I must go through all the formalities then so be it.  My name is Hinotama Taiyou.  In other words, falling fire star of the sun. Therefore, I bear the emblem and energy of the sun. As I have been trying to say, I come from a world plagued with evil so dense and infinite it is almost impossible for them to be stopped--  
  
'I knew I was going to end up on another quest...' Usagi thought bitterly as the words entered her ears.  
  
"--I have come back searching for my other half, namely you, Usagi, my sister, to help me defeat the darkness that has already devoured my world and will be coming for your own."  Hinotama took Usagi's hands in hers and gave a slight smile, "Usagi.  I have shown you who I am.  I know in your heart that you believe it to be true!"    
  
"I..." she trailed off, realizing that her snippy, disgusted attitude was futile. Immediately, the old, warm-hearted Usagi began to burn through, and rambling with an almost glassy gleam in her eyes, she confessed her worries to the stranger. "Hinotama-san, I apologize for the way I've treated you. But you must realize how very strange all of this is...how unnerving and intruding." The blonde stepped back and closed her eyes for a moment, "I just don't understand.  It's happening too fast!  I've fought most of my adolescence--not against hormones and homwork--but against evil, as we call it. I feel like this is the first time I'm coming full circle from all of my selflessness...surfacing to finally take a breath." She paused, choosing her words. "As soon as I saw you standing beside me, I felt like I was suffocating again."   
  
"I tried to explain that I understood. Usagi, your battle has been just the same my entire life. But it seems that that is where we differ. I have no choice but to press on. You may think being selfish and taking your powers for granted is fun, Miss Tsukino, but thousands will die on account of you if this is your outlook!" Hinotama returned, glancing away.  
  
A fire suddenly flickered within Usagi as she felt the dark, insulting connotation of Hinotama's words. "This isn't fair!  I am sick of helping people!  How dare you step in and expect that I heed to your demands!"  Usagi glared at her angrily.     
  
"How dare I give you a well-deserved wake-up call?" The brunette balled her fists and finally displayed her first true emotion since she'd arrived. "How dare _you_ walk away from family."  A long silence followed Hinotama's reply and Usagi was stunned. She stopped and turned again, walking towards the sliding glass door that looked out at her lush, flower-filled backyard. The blonde wrapped one arm around her waist and rested the other upon its elbow, chewing a nail both thoughtfully and nervously as her golden streams hung behind her.   
  
'Do I really believe this girl? Trust her words about a coming darkness? Thousands dying? How can I possibly hope to deny her, especially after seeing the truth? Even if she isn't a Princess of the solar variety...she still wields _some_ kind of power. She hasn't made an attempt on my life, and despite her oddities and quirks...I almost feel as if I've known her forever.' Usagi stopped herself, blinking in realization. 'If she really is my sister…and people truly are suffering, I cannot let them die!'  Usagi whirled around to face a placid-looking Hinotama, whose gaze had wandered to the family portrait hanging on the wall. She placed a hand on Hinotama's tanned shoulder, and as if awakening from a strange dream, Hinotama's eyes fell upon her.   
  
"Hai?"  
  
"If what you say is true…then show me."    
  
Hinotama allowed a thin smile to cross her lips and took a small crystal out of her pocket.  "This, my sister, is much like your Silver Crystal.  It is called the Sunfire Crystal.  Like yours, it emits a strong and beautiful light…but without one another they are weak compared to their combined power."    
  
"Well, let's combine them and get this fiasco over--  
  
"I'm afraid it's not that terribly simple, Usagi. There is a great fight ahead of us…touch the crystal, Usagi.  And then you will see the utter terror that has befallen my world."  Hinotama held out the crystal that now radiated with a strong and pure orange light. It's nearly tropical glow cast dancing shadows of colored light upon the girl's faces.    
  
"If I do this, Hinotama…I lose everything," Usagi murmured apprehensively, meeting Hinotama's eyes.   
  
"If you don't do this…_we_ lose everything." With that, the odangoed girl knew there was no alternative. Duties or not, her other half needed her help and now she must willingly give it, or all would suffer.  Usagi reached out and softly pressed her fingertips to the Sunfire Crystal's smooth form.  In seconds, a brilliant orange light enveloped the two girls.  After a moment, all that was left behind in the recently-vacated living space were their echoing screams as they hurtled throughout time and space.  
  
*~*~*      
  
It was so utterly dark…incredibly and inconceivably dark.  It seemed that the world had caved in and died a thousand times over. And the silence--the silence was so thick it seemed to press down on Usagi as she scrambled around furiously searching for light.  Feverishly searching for aid, her nails dug into what might have been the hard, cold, ground. Her nails were splintering beneath the pressure she exerted, trying to claw her way out. It was then, however, that the first human interaction occured.  A hand suddenly latched around her wrist and the blonde let out a blood-curdling scream.  "Shut up or they'll hear you!" Hinotama hissed as she clamped a mouth over her sister's mouth. At that moment Usagi's heart skipped a beat, and she recoiled, though relieved to know that she was not alone.  
   
"Hinotama?" Usagi whispered as the girl's hand moved from her lips. Her breathing was shallow and soft, and Usagi shivered. It was rather chilly out...    
  
"Yes, now be quiet…" came Hinotama's hushed reply, though impatient.   
  
"Where are we?" Usagi exclaimed, that familiar shrill tone entering her statement.  
  
"Are you trying to get us killed?!" Hinotama hissed harder and gave the girl a small slap on the arm.  Usagi shot her a dirty glance that went unnoticed in the pitch black. "You have to be quiet.  We're in my world now…the darkness makes living--much less surviving nearly impossible.  I know you're not used to it, but you have to be absolutely silent until I give you the word...or we're dead!"    
  
Usagi nearly began to cry, but she bit down upon her lips firmly, suppressing the urge. She was stronger than this.  But it was just so dark and her world was crumbling around her.  This was so awful, and there was nothing she could possibly do to help Hinotama. How could she afterall, in a place where there was no light? There wasn't a single hint of it in this place and the only sound that could be heard was their breathing.    
  
"Hinotama…I don't like it here," Usagi commented quietly, kneeling and leaning against her sister. "It's _horrid_."   
  
Usagi felt Hinotama shift uneasily. "This place used to be beautiful, and now it remains little more than a shadowed wasteland.  Be quiet, I hear something coming."  As Hinotama's voice silenced, a clicking sound echoed down the alleyway in which they in. It was hollow, foreboding, and dreadful as it drew closer to them. The sound continued to grow louder as it advanced, bouncing off of the rough alley walls.  Usagi sensed Hinotama moving up and away from her.  
  
"Where are you going?" she inquired softly but shrilly. She balled her hands into fists, tight enough so that she could feel the strain upon her knuckles; it was all she could do to keep from screaming.   
  
"Stay here, I'm going to kill it."  Usagi was about to reply when a roar and then a slow bubbling cry cut off her voice.  There was complete quiet for it seemed an eternity until a tiny flicker of light appeared in Hinotama's hand and cast a slight glow upon them, the dead monstrosity lying on the cold pavement beside her.    
  
"What did you do?!" Usagi squealed in disgust, hands held before her mouth as she hopped to her feet.  
  
"Saved your life," Hinotama sighed dropping a small stick shaped object to the ground.  The clinking echoed in the alley and slowly faded as it hit the pavement.  
  
"Hinotama-san, what is this?  What was _that_?!  What is this world?!" Usagi exclaimed, only now becoming painfully aware of the high-pitched ring to her sobs. It was then that she realized just how dire and incredibly hopeless the situation appeared.  A world of infinite darkness…a pitch black accompanied by creatures the likes Usagi had never seen.  It was the dark incarnate of hell.    
  
Hinotama watched as the lighter in her hand flickered out and she teased at it for a moment, coaxing back its light-filled refuge.  "Usagi, I'm sorry.  But we can stop them; we just have to stay strong.  I know that you wanted a simple life. I know you just wanted to be _normal_. Yet, you and I have a higher destiny than the one you were prophesied.  Trust me sister, I beg of you," Hinotama whispered as she glanced back at Usagi, her bright eyes like glittering gems before the flame of the lighter.   
  
Usagi nodded silently, and maintaining equilibrium, padded over to her sister and remained close as she peered innocently over Hinotama's shoulder at the fallen creature. "What is that?" she asked quietly. Usagi cursed herself mentally as she fought to steady her shaking limbs.   
  
"The weakest of the demonic inhabitants of this world.  Its name is Scorpia and there are hundreds…possibly thousands like it here.  Too many of my people fell victim to its scorpion-like tail and vicious claws. I feel sick inside when I lay eyes upon one of these things..."  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know--  
  
"Ignorance is bliss, Usagi. At least for a time," Hinotama replied quickly, her expression serious.   
  
Another silence ensued and the two could do little more than stare at the fallen monster. It's neck was contorted in a terrible manner and it's stumpy, though claw-endowed legs and feet were stiff. Usagi's eyes drifted and fell upon Hinotama who was glaring daggers at the demon.  
  
"Are there more like them?" Usagi whispered in her characteristic curiosity.  
  
Hinotama nodded. "These demons are very strong and many can only be destroyed by attacking their weakest points. The Scorpia are well-fortified…but in comparison to others…they are the underlings to the supreme demons that have overrun this world.  There are so many types and with so many powers.  I sometimes felt like giving up…but I refuse to lose my world and yours."  Usagi hung her head and blinked away a small tear.  This place was hideous and compared to her own world, Hinotama was right.  Hers was like a walk in the park, but here…it was hell.    
  
Usagi looked upon it with sullen eyes, observing its immense bodily structure and strong looking limbs.  It was clad in black and shadows and its ruby eyes, that remained opened, had once before glowed--making it a slightly simple target.  The odangoed young woman noticed with wide cerulean eyes its claw-adorned feet that reminded her of enormous, black devil horns.  "How did you kill it?  Why didn't you use your powers?"  
  
"Well," she began simply, that confident air reentering her voice. "I could. But then again, by using my powers--which naturally omit light--I would and will draw other demonic creatures to us and could possibly be responsible for killing the both of us.  I learned quickly while a novice that using my powers would much rather kill me...my worlds last hope...rather than save it."  
  
"So technically using my gift as a senshi would endanger the both of us? You called me out here to tell me that my one power is actually useless?" the blonde responded, now steaming.   
  
"I was lucky the first time I made a mistake, but like us, the demons learn and make good on their lessons. And I refuse to bear the deaths of any more friends on my shoulders," Hinotama spat, whirling about to face her. "If you wish to go home and hide in wait of this hell, be my guest. But I will not risk the lives of those I hold dear to cater to your needs."   
  
"I _despise_ you, you wretched, incompetent drama queen!" Usagi growled, hair waving wildly about behind her. A cold air swept through and tickled her bare legs.   
  
"How many drama queens do you know that slay hell demons?" Hinotama answered simply, a delightful smile on her face. Usagi cringed again, and within she was tearing out her hair while screaming.   
  
'How can she be so _ridiculously, furisouly_ insane?!' Usagi folded her arms and pouted. "I hate you, you do realize that."    
  
Hinotama nodded solemnly and took Usagi's hand, her expression placid. "I expected you would...after all, I can't imagine how compromising this must be...to have me waltz into your life and drag you here." The blonde was stricken with the serious, compassionate tone of Hinotama's words. Perhaps she wasn't insane, or crazy...maybe Hinotama was simply desperate to save her home world. "I can't force you stay here, but I honestly do not know what will happen if you and I do not unify to end this reign of terror. I sought you out because I knew I could count on you--sister."   
  
Usagi lowered her eyes, ashamed once again. 'Why is it that I can loathe her so much, but be incapable of denying her sincerity?' The blonde finally relented and nodded. "I won't abandon you, or our worlds. But you cannot expect me to fully understand all of this. I want--I mean, I want to know how we defeat them. How do we stop them?  How did you kill that Scorpia thing?" Usagi replied after a bit. Her questions seemed innocent enough.   
  
"Shh, be quiet.  They usually travel together.  More are sure to come.  But I used a special stake, much like the ones people used on vampires way back when.  They thought vampires were bad…they wouldn't last five minutes here."  Hinotama took Usagi's wrist and began to lead her blindly through the darkness to a secluded building that was infested with silence.  A few small hisses echoed from inside.  "Don't be afraid.  I won't let anything happen to you…Sister."    
  
"Then it is true.  We're sisters," Usagi replied in a hushed whisper as they entered the building and locked the door behind them noiselessly. As far as the quiet Odango Atama could gather, the building they had entered was most likely an old apartment edifice of some sort, possibly a business center. Two blackened halls branched off from their current location, and without hesitation, Hinotama led Usagi through the area in a weave-like fashion.   
  
"This is what I called home for months before I learned about the ways of the creatures and how to fight them. "  Hinotama led Usagi deeper inside the building and down to a basement, deep beneath the surface.  The girls stopped in front of a tarnished steel door, adorned with numerous locks and latches which were most likely manipulated from the inside. "Usagi, I know it's nothing like your home, but its safe here," Hinotama sighed as she waved a hand over the door and commanded the door open as each individual lock unlocked itself with a resonating click. With a dancer's grace and precision, the bright-eyed girl quickly shut the immense door behind them upon their entrance and swiftly relocked it.    
  
Usagi lifted a hand to her eyes and blinked several times before her eyes could adjust to the intense lighting within the room.  'For once, there are lights in this place,' she thought bitterly.  She continued to scan the room in silence, running a nervous hand through one of her gold streams.  Hinotama meanwhile stood calmly by the door lost in thought.  The blonde took in the area and noticed two uncomfortable looking cots built in on the north wall and a few tables lined up against the east.  They were covered in papers that were in turn covered in text and prints, pictures, and even a few, seemingly archaic books.  On the west wall sat cupboards with food stacked inside and beneath them.  Finally on the south wall was a small wash area with a petite shower hidden behind a large hanging tarp.  The room was decorated in basic grays and a few dashes of blue or slate here and there.    
  
"Not the Ritz, I know," Hinotama laughed slightly, almost apologetically.  "But it serves its purpose."  
  
Usagi turned and force a smile. "Its fine, Hinotama.  I'm just so sorry that I didn't believe you.  I shouldn't have been so selfish," Usagi answered shamefully.    
  
"There was a time long ago when I, too, hated who I was.  I wanted nothing to do with helping people or ruling over crowds of naïve and seemingly hateful humans.  They had no idea how hard I worked to make sure they were safe.  Like I said," she went on with a wink, "I know what it's like. So do not be sorry. I just miss the sunlight with everything in my body. I used to thrive in it; I was happy just feeling its warmth upon my face. After all, it was mine," she continued with a small smile.  Hinotama made her way to the nearest cot and slowly sat down.  Her eyes were bright despite the circumstances and they continued to hold that same confident and independent glint.  Her hair was slightly mussed from the previous conflict, but Usagi's sister was beautiful.  Her long wavy hair draped around her in an angelic fashion, softening her strong and fierce personality.    
  
"Hinotama-san, do you wish you weren't the Princess of the Sun?"  
  
"Do you wish you weren't the Princess of the Moon?"    
  
The blonde hung her head and flopped down onto the opposite cot, sighing. "Sometimes I thought of it as a curse, until I realized all the good that I could do.  And I hope, Hinotama, that you and I can save our worlds…in the name of our sisterhood."   
  
  
  
Chapter 2 revised as of 1/19/2002.   



	3. Refuge

I do not own Sailor Moon.  But Hinotama Taiyou is mine!  Haha!  Please R &R!  Enjoy!  
  
Falling Stars  


Chapter 3  
  
Hinotama glanced down at her watch in silence, noticing how much later it was than she had anticipated. 'It's far later than I figured,' the sunlit girl thought. 'Yet what difference does it make?  The sun never rises anyway,' she added bitterly.   
  
"What's wrong?" Usagi inquired, taking notice of her sister's dark expression.  The brunette seemed at first to ignore her gesture, but soon enough snapped out of her reverie and waved at Usagi with a smile.  
  
"Nothing, Usagi-san. It's just normal protocol around here.  My watch says that it's about 1 o'clock in the morning and I realized that no one really keeps track anymore. There's no sun to light the day anyhow."  The girl leaned back against the cold wall, which her bed was built into and sighed again.  "I couldn't believe how disappointed I was to find that it was raining in your world when I arrived...perhaps it was a sign, ne?"  
  
"Hai," Usagi replied, scratching her earlobe. "The strangest things happen when it rains."   
  
"Yes, I'm sure they do." Usagi glanced about the room in silence again, waiting for Hinotama to speak up. Instead, the young woman stared down at her watch despondently, then discreetly removed it and placed it upon the pillow beside her. "Now that you're here, there are some things you should know, sis."      
  
"Such as...?" Usagi replied with a quizzical laugh, thankful for the change.  Hinotama pointed to a small latch on the floor.  "What is that?"  
  
"Every huntress has her stash," Hinotama returned rising and striding over to the location smoothly. "This, Usagi, is my secret arsenal."  She knelt gracefully and unlatched the lock by waving her hand over, revealing a tack that lifted upwards.  
  
"You're going to have to explain why you can do that magic stuff, but why do we--Usagi cut off as Hinotama pulled several guns and rifles out of the mysterious floor-rack.    
  
"These are our saving grace--our protectors and saviors," Hinotama said sarcastically.  "It's one of the only ways to stop these demons without our powers."  She pulled out a few more with a violent jerk in addition to the bullets that lay beside them on the floor. "Once you get settled in, we'll have to go out patrolling.  Even though it seems hopeless, we have to keep fighting until we find the source of this darkness.  As for my powers, I discovered them when this hell draped over my world.  You have them too Usagi, and when the time comes, they will be awakened within you."  
  
"This is way different from being a Senshi," Usagi remarked. Suddenly her expression contorted with grief. "Oh god!" she exclaimed, burying her face into her hands.  "How are we going to tell the others?  Ami, Rei, Minako…Makoto!  What about them?!  They won't know!"   
  
"Usagi...please, they can't do anything to help us.  Their powers are useless here.  You and I are the only ones," her sister answered walking over to her, hair fluttering behind her.    
  
"They have no idea where I am...or how long I'll be gone! They may think I'm dead and--Mamo-chan!" she added with a desperate shriek. Hinotama sat down beside her and put an arm across her shoulder. Though before she could offer any words of comfort, Usagi continued. "I know I should be strong.  But I'm so scared, and I have never been so scared in my entire life.  For the first time, Hinotama…I feel powerless, so powerless in fact that nothing I can possibly do will help!"  Usagi looked at the other girl with wide blue eyes, her arms flailing wildly as she was about to succumb to tears.  Hinotama's hardened expression, on the other hand, softened immediately as she retrieved a small tissue from the desk and handed it to the Odango Atama.    
  
"I know it's hard.  But we're not alone, there are others. And I understand how frightful this may seem--darkness, demons, hell. Trust me, after living for months often all alone, I know what its like to feel so hopeless.  But you and I have a job to do!  We have to stay strong for one another if not the universe," Hinotama explained. Usagi sniffled.  
  
"Not quite what you expected, ne?" she choked out with a little smile.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Me, I mean...how spiteful I was...and here I am sobbing like an infant." Hinotama merely smiled warmly and Usagi did so in return. They reveled in a moment of sisterly bonding, their eyes catching one another's at different intervals.  
  
"Well, I'm sure you're full of questions by now.  I think it would be best to discuss them and get the formalities out of the way."  
  
"Yes!  I think that would be a good idea," Usagi replied with a sniffle, forcing a tiny smile.  "To start off with…where are we?"  
  
"We are in an alternative universe parallel to yours.  Everything is the same, except those in power.  I, as the Princess of the Sun, ruled this galaxy, as you would come to rule yours.  However, time slowly brought on a new enemy…one that killed everyone I loved…including my Senshi.  There are still people in hiding, of course, and they, you will come to know and trust.  I have known many of them since my childhood, and others have become like family to me." She said the last sentence with a sort of loving gleam in her eyes, as though the people she mentioned held a specific significance in her life. "There are many, but they're hiding in fear of the darkness.  Most are in underground shelters like you and I.  Women, small children, and their husbands.  Even girls and boys our ages have banned together in the fight."  
  
"Ninjas, huh?"  
  
"Not quite, Usa. They know that here I am the Princess, and their intended ruler. They understand the past millennia, my role, and those of my senshi. But mostly, we have learned from one another how to fight and defend and we occupy a rather extensive territory underground. I have shown them how to stay safe and how to survive...and whether or not I feel like getting up in the morning, no matter how sore or tired I am, it's my job to keep going."    
  
"I never knew.  I'm sorry.  But…you--had guardians, too?" Usagi exclaimed with widening eyes.  Hinotama nodded and her gaze quickly shifted in pain, focusing on some distant point in the large room, which for a simple shelter, wasn't that bad.  It wasn't like home…but like Hinotama had said, it fit its purpose.  
  
"Yes, I had Senshi.  And they died protecting me," Hinotama finally spoke, meeting eyes with Usagi. The pain that welled up within her prussian eyes was staggering. "But by some strange twist of Fate, I was rescued.  The Fates themselves told me that I had a higher purpose than to be the leader and the Princess of this world.  They told me my destiny was to protect others, and their worlds from falling to the darkness.  And that's when my powers awoke within me...like they will for you.  And so this is where we are now.  I have brought you back to join in the fight, one we have to approach carefully and fully prepared.  But in the meantime, I must teach you the ways of the night.  The same ways I live by and save others with.  But tonight, or actually this morning, we rest.  And then soon we can start your training, Usagi."    
  
"Training...I thought Luna had pummeled me enough with _that_ already." The blonde nodded and gave her sister a smile.  "At first I thought coming here was going to be a nightmare.  And it is…but now I know that I can help.  We're sisters…and I won't turn my back on family.  No matter how many I have," Usagi added playfully.  Hinotama smiled at her and rose.    
  
"Any more questions sis?"  
  
"Yes, I...well when did this happen?" Usagi inquired softly, her heels resting against the indentation of the cot support.   
  
"Just a few months.  Since April and by now it's about mid June.  And even though the darkness never truly lifts, during what should be day it lightens a bit.  If we're lucky, on what are considered the "nice" days around here, you can see the blood red sky," Hinotama answered nodding.    
  
"That sounds attractive," Usagi responded sarcastically.  
  
"Doesn't it?" Hinotama replied laughing.  For a few moments, quiet followed as their words faded into the past.  "Now, if you're going to be living around here, sundresses don't fly!"  Hinotama pointed at Usagi's bright yellow sundress with a red rose print.  It was a halter dress that tied up around the neck and smoothed down into a short, but sleek dress that was light and billowy.  
  
"I guess not.  Why, the monsters don't like pretty girls in short dresses?" Usagi giggled.  
  
"Oh trust me, they do.  That is why they eat them," Hinotama tittered.  The girl pushed her long hair behind her and pulled it up into a tight ponytail the draped down her back.  "Here we are…you're new outfit!"    
  
Usagi caught the bundle that Hinotama tossed at her and unwrapped it slowly.  As the black tie fell to the ground Usagi recognized it to be a black spaghetti strap tank top along with slimming black leather pants.  "Hmm, very stylish for a night in the hell world."  
  
"Well, looking good on the job is a plus.  It's fun too," the girl answered giving her sister a thumbs-up and a wink.  Usagi decided to change and went behind the dark tarp and quickly threw on her new outfit.  There was a tall mirror that was slightly dusty beside her, and the Odangoed blonde blew away the covering of particles quickly.  Usagi stood in front of the mirror and posed with her right hand on her hip, head thrown back, and left arm at her side.    
  
"Ooh, I look good," Usagi giggled slightly.  'I can laugh all I want, but Hinotama knows the truth. I'm scared to death and if she knows me as well as she acts...we must share this sinking feeling I have inside. And it's terrorizing me...' she thought suddenly. The blonde shook it off and gave herself a once-over before emerging from behind the tarp. Hinotama was reclining on her cot, gazing at her sister intently.    
  
"I know what you mean…Usagi I feel it too," Hinotama said as Usagi came to stand before her.    
  
"What are you-  
  
"We're interconnected, Usagi-san. Posessing both powers and blood relations aren't our only awesome abilities," Hinotama laughed.  "Since we are sisters, we are connected on a higher level than any human.  We can read each others thoughts and feelings."    
  
"I'm sorry--about what I said," Usagi murmured as she sat down beside her chestnut-haired sister. "You didn't deserve to be berated...you've already been through enough."  
  
"It must be a thing with you--guilt."   
  
"Why, you've never felt guilt before?" Usagi inquired, keenly interested.  
  
"Usagi, I wear guilt like clothing. It's always hanging upon my shoulders--I've always bore its weight."   
  
"You didn't deserve this, Hinotama. No one does."  
  
"I guess Fate had other plans in mind."   
  
"I suppose. But, oh, Hino! I feel almost left out because I posess any of your abilities yet! I feel worthless and helpless without them!"  
  
"Usagi, soon. When the time is right you shall understand. But first, let's have a little fun.  You _cannot****_ fight with those odangoes flying everywhere like that, Usagi-chan!" Hinotama's mood swinging wildly about through a spectrum of emotions.   
  
"You sound like Mamoru...oh, Mamo-chan…" the blonde replied sadly.  
  
"Mamoru?  Is that you're boyfriend?" Hinotama asked quietly with a strange twinkle in her eyes.  Usagi nodded with a lopsided smile.   
  
"He'll be so worried about me.  After all…he is my future husband."   
  
"Oh, Usagi, at least you still _have_ a future husband," the honey-haired girl sighed.     
  
"Hino-chan!  I'm sorry, sister…it took him from you?" Usagi swiveled to face her sister and was about to throw her arms around the young woman. "Hino-chan--  
       
 "Yes." Hinotama held up a hand to silence her sister's queries, and closed her watering eyes.   "And I miss him terribly.  But someday, when the darkness lifts…maybe I will see him again."  
  
"You will, I know it," Usagi confided. "I lost Mamoru many years ago...and somehow we found one another again. I know that one day you will find your beloved."  
  
"Usagi, I..." Hinotama trailed off and finally sighed. The young blonde could not understand. Though equal in age, the sisters had experienced far different things. How could Hinotama expect Usagi to understand what it's like to lose your beloved--forever.   "Listen, I know it's hard, but please, try to focus on the here and now.  If we have faith in ourselves and one another…nothing can stop us." Hino's eyes glimmered.  Usagi nodded again sadly.  
  
"If that is all that we have to do to save this place, then I will do so with everything I've got!"  
  
"I knew you would help me, Usagi."    
  
"What are sisters for?" she returned with a shrug.  They both smiled and a moment of quiet followed as the girls reflected on the just past events.  "So what were you suggesting we do with my odangoes?  If you think you're going cut them, you're insane!"  Hinotama laughed at her determined remark.   
  
"Don't worry…it's nothing like that.  I just thought we'd do this," the brunette continued.  Hinotama turned Usagi around and sat her down in a wooden chair in front of the mirror behind the tarp.  Still dressed in her street clothes from Usagi's world, Hinotama began to unfold her blonde meatballs, smoothing out her beautiful blonde tresses as they spilled down her back. "You have gorgeous hair, sis!  That's what everyone used to tell me before this whole debacle started."     
  
The Prussian-eyed young woman brushed out the blonde's long hair and flipped it up into a tight ponytail, twisting it into a bun with the sides streaming out. With the final placing of a pin here or there, Hinotama was done.  "I love it!" Usagi laughed, gently pressing at it.    
  
"And a final touch," Hinotama said, she waved her hand over it and imposed a strong hold into the locks so they would not fall out during battle.  "That's the fun of this magic stuff…you can kick demon butt and still look fabulous!"    
  
After a bit the two resided within the main room, reclining on the cots quietly. They discusses their current situation now and again, but decided it would be best to rest for a few hours before training.  As they settled onto and in their cots, Usagi sat up in her own separate bed and voice one final question.  "Where is the Sunfire Crystal?"   
  
Hinotama was quiet for a moment before answering, "The Sunfire, like your Silver Crystal, is an embodiment of my powers within me.  I can call upon it when needed.  And in time, you will learn to access its power, and heighten its levels when combined with mine."  
  
"Maybe someday I will understand. Goodnight, Hinotama."  
  
"Goodnight, Usagi."  And with that, Hinotama flicked a hand towards the ceiling, and under her bidding, the lanterns and lights slowly dimmed and flickered out.                       
  
  
Chapter 3 revised as of 1/19/2002.  



	4. Field Vision

I do not own Sailor Moon.  This is my story and so is Hinotama!    
Enjoy & please R & R!!    


  


Falling Stars  
  
  


Chapter 4  
  
Minako's vivid eyes twinkled as she swirled about in her yellow dress, her trademark red bow bouncing as she spun. Without a care in the world she coaxed her friend to join her for a sunlit afternoon of fun. Her eyes were gleaming joyously as she latched onto Usagi's wrists and pulled her out into the sunlight as it poured down onto the Temple.  "Come on, Usagi-chan!  Join us!" she giggled smiling, gorgeous mane shining beneath the afternoon glow.    
  
With a titled nod and a smile, Usagi consented. "Come where?" the odangoed one exclaimed curiously.  One by one, Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Mamoru appeared out of nowhere and began to approach Usagi with wide smiles. The cherry blossoms were blooming and the air was mixed with their deliciously fragrant scent. The temple grounds were in peak condition, and the surrounding estate's lush green grass seemed almost a perfect utopia. "Hey you guys!  I've missed you!" the blonde laughed freely, cerulean eyes glittering.    
  
Mamoru stepped forth, offering a hand as he lessened the five-foot difference between them.   
  
"Come with us, Usako," he whispered softly, grinning. The young woman slipped her petite hand into his masculine palm, and as his hand closed firmly around it, she blushed. She blinked in her ever-so-innocent appeal, dazed and elated to be with those she loved most. Her gaze awakened once again, and lifted to meet Mamoru's. Though when Usagi looked up into his eyes, she saw nothing. His characteristically warm midnight eyes were dead and icy. The girl suddenly realized how empty and unfeeling they were then as their normally gentle and joyous glimmer had faded into a cold glow.    
  
"Mamo-chan?" she inquired softly, visibly surprised and unnerved as their gazes locked. Sensing her hesitation, Mamoru clasped a tight hand around Usagi's wrist and violently ripped her towards him like a helpless doll. "Mamoru!"  A feeling of uncertainty and intense dread began to seep into her bones as she felt his iron grip tighten; and already scared out of her wits, the rabbit attempted to draw away. She knew something was quite wrong, as he'd never handled her so angrily like that before...never hurt her intentionally. But his eyes were so _empty_...  
  
"That's right, Usagi-chan!" a tiny giggle came from behind. Ami smiled wickedly at her dear friend through strangely dark eyes beneath her bangs of aqua. "Onegai, come with us!" Usagi was momentarily distracted as she glanced over at Ami, entirely confused. All of them...it was all in their eyes...  
  
"Ami-chan! What's going on?" Usagi squealed, feeling Mamoru's grip harden. "Ami! Help me!" Seeing that her pleas were of no use, Usagi shifted her attention to Mamoru and his offensive hold. With a tiny cry, she managed to break free of him, and stepped back as she rubbed at her sore and reddened wrist. "Mamoru! Onegai!" Usagi's wide eyes were filled with a fearsome gleam, and she continued to step back and away from her friends.   
  
"Well, are you coming or not?" Ami prodded, folding her arms and glaring at Usagi in irritation. Her eyes were just as Mamoru's: dark and unfeeling.  Ami's hair swayed gently in the icy breeze that suddenly whipped through the scene. The sun that once poured down upon them like paradise faded to a bleak afternoon of chilled winds and unforgiving skies.   
  
"What is going on here?" Usagi demanded, clutching her injured wrist to her chest. "I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me what is going on!" Her cries of command were ignored and Usagi realized that she was now surrounded on all sides. Rei and Makoto flanked her, arms tensed and prepared to take hold of the young woman. Minako and Ami in turn flanked the other girls, their faces graced with the same wickedly daring and vengeful smiles. Usagi, however, was terrified, and spun around at random intervals, pleading to each of her friends. "You guys!  Mamo-chan?  Rei?  Ami, Minako?  Makoto!  Why are you acting like this?!" she exclaimed, nearly forced to tears. She brought her hands to her eyes, shielding her view from the hateful scenario.   
  
"Little rabbit, will you cry now?" Rei taunted, her amethyst eyes sparkling despite the darkened afternoon.   
  
"Onegai, little rabbit, cry for us!" Makoto giggled, delighted with her friend's peril.   
  
The blonde cringed as they advanced, and within seconds she was contained. As if on cue, several steely grips took hold of Usagi and latched onto her limbs, ripping her to the ground as the air filled with their horrific laughter.   
  
"Princess, join us in the darkness!" Rei cackled as she slammed Usagi's back against the pavement. "Let it swallow your soul!"    
"No!  Please, God…anyone…help me!" Usagi screamed out, fighting against the forces that held her fast. She could feel two hasty hands taking hold of her golden streams and tugging at them ruthlessly. Her brilliant blue eyes flickered in mortification, and she screamed helplessly. Their eyes were so dark and fearless--so hateful and evil.  "Help me!"   
  
*~*~*  
  
Usagi awoke suddenly, drenched in a cold sweat as she shot up into sitting position. Her hands consciously raced about, patting both herself and the bed to be sure that she was truly alive. The darkness of the underground sanctuary, however, was only so comforting to her as she thanked the gods it was only a nightmare.  Her long blonde hair was draped around her like a curtain of gold and was slightly mussed from thrashing about. With a whimper, she buried her tear stained cheeks in the rough cotton sheets as she sobbed away her terror. "Hnn...Mamoru...my friends, what is happening?" she choked out, hugging herself. It seemed the only thing she knew how to do at that point--cry in fear and in desperation of her situation. What was left anyway? She was alone, save for Hinotama who as it was, appeared to have left.   
  
"Hinotama?" Usagi inquired, her thoughts turning to her kin. The blonde ran her hands through her hair, smoothing it as she swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood. The floor was cold against her bare feet, and with a tiny shiver, Usagi padded over to the cot opposite hers. The ivory sheets were flung to the side casually and Hinotama was no where to be found. The blonde folded her arms and shook her head. "Where'd you go?" There came no reply to her quiet soft query.    
  
'Wonderful! This is positively wonderful...I am not plagued by nightmares and left entirely alone to fend for myself in the middle of hell. Who does she think she is?! Ugh, that girl is crazy.  Since the day I met her I knew something was different about her...it's hard to believe this began simply yesterday. Yet, no matter how infuriating she was or how strangely divine, I understand why. She's do determined, and I know now what it is like to lose those you love. Perhaps that smart mouth of hers might get us in trouble…but is there anyone cares anyway?  Who's gonna punish us around _this_ wasteland?' Usagi thought succinctly.  The lighter she had seen Hinotama holding was sitting quietly on the desk near Usagi's bed.  'Let's shed a bit of light on the subject.'    
  
After flipping the cap over and flicking back the button, a tiny flame slowly allowed itself to emerge into the darkness, burning a hole through its thickness.  The room was completely empty and seeing her sister's absence made Usagi uncomfortable.  Her gaze floated about the room, until it feel upon a tiny note that was pinned to the wall beside her own bed.  
  


_Usagi-chan,  
  
I didn't want to leave you all alone, but I had no choice. It's hard to believe what has been happening...but I've gone out on patrol for a bit.  Don't worry about me and stay in the shelter.  I'll be back soon & make breakfast.  
  
-Hinotama  
_

  
"Damn you, Hinotama!  She could _at least_ specify where or why she was going!" Usagi remarked darkly as she crumpled the note carelessly.  "She wrote this pitiful excuse for a message like she's going out to the store for groceries!"  Usagi's voice was hinted with anger, but most of all irritation.    
  
'I've been dragged into a literal hell world, and now my life has been turned upside down.  And all my _sister_ can think about is patrolling and making breakfast!  How in hell am I supposed to figure this out?' Usagi threw the balled-up note across the room and watched with distant satisfaction as it rolled beneath Hinotama's bed.   
  
*~*~*  
  
Hinotama dashed through the blackened alleys, clutching her left arm and clenching her teeth as she tried to force away the overwhelming pain. Blood steadily coursed down her arm as she spun about mid step to fire a few shots from her smoking handgun. The monstrosities trailing her seemed little affected and continued their pursuit, growling and grumbling in a disgusting manner. 'I'm going to die…' Hinotama thought with a dark acceptance. She risked her chances once again by spinning to face them, standing her ground as she fired off a few more shots. They echoed as they rocketed down the alley towards the demons, delaying them shortly. Hinotama took these few precious seconds to take off into the night, racing for a haven.    
  
'There have to be more…and they will kill me if not the others.  I am going to die and Usagi will be all alone in a world of merciless, cold-blooded killers. Usagi-chan, my dear sister. Onegai, forgive me. Gomen nasai!'  After hurtling down a few more shortcuts and pathways, Hinotama found herself in a secluded area located just off of the metropolis of her world. It was where a huge commerce center once stood before the devastation of her home world; and in place of the old center was now a barren field of nothingness.    
  
'I'll draw them away from her, that's all I can do now. If I hadn't stuck around long enough for them to regroup, I might have been luckier. Oh, Usagi, stay safe. Sunfire Crystal, I beg of you.  If I die, send her home. Let my sister have her life back.  I don't want to watch helplessly from above--or wherever I end up assuming there is such a place--as she withers away in that shelter far from the ones she loves.  I cannot bear such pain. It will kill me into the lives of my future and on.  Usagi…run for your life, sister!'    
  
By now, Hinotama dove headfirst into the field, tunneling through the dense weeds to an area far from her previous position. On all fours, she struggled to keep moving, but fell to her side with a muffled shriek of pain as a result of her tender wound. Her arm was still bleeding profusely from the large gash in her upper arm which a large Scorpia had bestowed upon her.   
  
Left with only a few shells in her gun, a broken stake, and one lost altogether, Hinotama's odds were looking mighty grim. She had fought so hard to avoid a fate to which far too many had already succumbed. In other words, she was dead.    
  
Using all of her willpower, Hinotama commanded her despondent body into a kneeling position. She could see just above the weeds as she crouched in silence that a few of the demons were making their way through the field...heading straight for her.  They were disgusting beings of sheer evil, inconceivably hideous. The demonic forms were incapable of feeling, or understanding morals.  Their mission was to seek, destroy, and conquer all life in order to further their own kind. These, though, were quite different from Scorpia; in fact they were five levels higher on the demonic power chain--funny how one even existed. Hinotama's eyes flickered with hatred now in their vivid colors as she remembered the demise of her beloveds. Hinotama had watched them destroy her family as she tried to no avail to stop them with her powers. Though somehow, by some strange grace, the young solar Princess was spared from the ferocious death her friends and family...minna...had suffered. Thereby endowed with a guilt no one should ever have to bear, Hinotama continued to fight and refused to give up until the darkness was defeated. The thought of doing so lead her gaze up to the dirty skies of of muddy browns and hints of ebony. The world was enveloped in silence, save for the random whispering breezes that were in turn tainted with filth. Ruins of cities remained even in spite of the destruction--most were located around the central metropolis of Hinotama's hometown. Tunnels, shelters, and hideouts were found in many a location, but several already had been weeded out and squelched.   
  
Her brilliant eyes returned to the demons, and she quickly peered around to decipher her options. A vast, dense woodland thrived behind her, though it was not of lush greenery, but rather dead and dank vines and trunks. The field in which she hid was quite near it, but because she was injured and had a minimal chance of survival, Hinotama resisted the urge to attempt to reach it. Another low growl reminded her of oncoming predators. They had come to claim the Sun Princess and to, in the meantime, finish off the entire universe.    
  
The monstrosities, which stood upright, pushed on through the field, digging their long, steel-plated arms and legs through the impossibly thick weeds and near-dead plantlife. Hinotama's eyes fell upon the immense black claws upon their hands, which when fully extended, could measure up to 7 inches. Their heads, shaped spherically with two, devil like spikes protruding from the tops of their heads, turned now and then as they scanned the area with their cold, unfeeling emerald eyes. The mental capabilities of Hinotama's pursuers, as she had learned, were incredible, in which they could figure strategy, contemplate reactions, and plan surprise attacks in mere seconds. Their glowing eyes were the only signal of their presence, and for that Hinotama was thankful. She was convinced that without such a convenience, she would have already died.   
  
She waited in silence beneath the weeds that would come up to her chest if she were standing and were in turn nothing to the demons which were at least 6 feet tall. "They're coming to kill me now.  I'm sorry, Usagi. But I won't die like this--no way in this _hell_ world!" Hinotama screamed as she jumped up into the air and fired her remaining shots at the demon's heads with surprising accuracy. Two dropped instantly, gurgling as they fell. These, however, were no ordinary bullets, of course; they were wrought iron and coated with a poison potent to demons alone.   
  
Surprisingly enough, the creatures were technologically advanced to be able to speak. "Run small child!" one's voice echoed with a metallic ring as it fell to the ground.  One, however, still remained and Hinotama had no choice now but to run.  It would hunt her down until she was dead unless she made a break for it.   
  
Though all of a sudden, she was filled with a sort of resentment towards herself. She was running again...allowing herself to be overpowered by the same forces she risked her life daily trying to defeat. Stopping midstep with amazing precision, she whipped around to face the final predator. "I'm done running. This is my world and now you've crossed the line!" the young woman proclaimed, hair flying free about her and eyes blazing as she readied her weapon.    
  
"I will enjoy killing you," the final demon laughed cruelly.  Though demonic, they still had higher intelligence as the ranks increased and could speak every language known to man, or what was left of it, fluently.    
  
"I watched things like you kill my friends and family.  Now I will kill you as a calling card to your overlords.  If you see them in hell, tell them I'm taking back my world!" Hinotama screamed as she called upon her inner strength and used her skilled telekinesis to fling it effortlessly.  She quickly took it down when it landed with a few well-placed side kicks, and hook punches.  With a final spin kick and firing her last bullet, Hinotama watched the demon fall to the ground.  
  
"You will not survive the wrath of the overlord," it curdled as it fell and passed on.  The girl clutched her arm and turned to it for a finishing time.    
  
Hinotama shot the dead form a dark glare and suddenly smiled, "We'll see about that."        
  
  
  
Chapter 4 revised as of 1/20/2002.  
  
  



	5. Training

I do not own Sailor Moon.  Hinotama is mine!  Enjoy and please review!  


  


Falling Stars  
  


Chapter 5  
  
Hinotama held her breath as she entered the shelter silently, padding in as quietly as possible so as not to wake Usagi. The lights in the room were dimmed and the young woman figured that her sister was still asleep. The solar Princess was thankful that she would even be _able_ to lay eyes upon her sister again...  
  
As she turned to relock the door, Hinotama felt a sudden, irritated tap upon her shoulder. Glancing back, she came face to face with a peeved Usagi, who wore an extremely disgruntled expression. Crossing her arms and tilting her head, Usagi glared at her sister meaningfully, awaiting an explanation. The brunette was slightly surprised at this, but the disciplined look in her eyes never shifted.  "Usagi, I see you're up," Hinotama said with a smile, masking her shakiness from her prior excursion.  
  
"Oh, yes. Quite up I might add," Usagi quipped, her long white nightgown dark even in the light. "I'm assuming you couldn't possibly stick around for five minutes to at least warn me?" Hinotama blinked and nodded, mentally kicking herself. She knew the young woman would be furious.   
  
"I left you a note for that reason," Hinotama returned, praying her sister would understand. Usagi glared at her harder, until her bright eyes fell upon Hinotama's arm.   
  
"Hino!" she cried in a shrill voice, utterly taken aback and fearful. "Kami, give me strength! What's happened?" The brunette, however, moved away and went to her cot, sitting without a word. "Look at you!  And you're a complete mess!" Usagi scolded her sister in complete disbelief.   
  
"This wasn't what I intended to happen, if that's what you mean," Hinotama replied simply, but offered a smile moments later. She swatted away a few locks of glistening chestnut hair and sighed, wincing as she ran a finger across the tender skin of her injury.   
  
"You are _un_believeable. And still you pride yourself on that, huh?" Usagi berated, sitting down beside her and examining the wound closely.   
  
"I do," the brunette answered with a cocky grin, though it quickly faded. "Gomen, Usagi."    
  
The rabbit merely nodded and tucked a clump of hair behind her ear. "Ugh!" Usagi sighed in irritation and began to tend to her sister's wound.  "Would you mind telling your dear sister what happened?"  
  
"I encountered a little problem...and I wasn't paying attention.  Needless to say, I had to hide and pray that I didn't die, while I took my chances using my last shells," Hinotama replied with a glitter in her eyes. Usagi had begun to wrap her sister's arm, and at once Hinotama cringed from the sensation. Meanwhile, Hinotama proceeded with disarming herself, and after removing her gun from the back of her boot, she set down the empty weapon and remaining others on the table beside her cot.   
  
"You could have died!" Usagi cried suddenly, her wide blue eyes watering and her body shaking as she sat back to face Hinotama. "How could I possibly fend for myself here? You act like this is nothing...I think that living here all alone has turned your heart to stone--you only know how to kill things and hate people! You are absolutely insane!" Usagi spat, shooting Hinotama a dark glare.    
  
"Usagi, I'm sorry but living in a world like this can desensitize you.  I _was_ afraid I was going to die and leave you here all alone."  Usagi softened her intense glare, though her flustered face remained.  The blonde sat down after cleaning and bandaging the gash in her sister's arm.    
  
"I'm surprised you gave me a thought," the blonde retorted nastily, turning away.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Hinotama shouted, her once cheerful expression turned offended. "If _anything_ happened to you...I bear the death of another beloved friend upon my shoulders. I would never forgive myself, Usagi!"    
  
"That note you left me was like saying you were out to buy groceries.  How in hell am I supposed to sit here and wonder if you're dead?  And from hearing your story, I had and still have good reason to be angry." Usagi refused to meet her gaze, and furious she balled her fists until her nails dug into her palms. "You drag me here and expect me to aid you in a quest against darkness...I don't know who or what I am fighting and just when I feel like I can trust you--you pull some crazy stunt like this and nearly get yourself _killed_!"   
  
"Usa--  
  
"Hinotama." Usagi faced her, eyes ablaze. "I don't understand how I can possibly be of any help, when you continue to run off on your own, refusing my abilities. Let me help you, please."   
  
Hinotama relented and sighed, taking her sister's hand and smiling. Their eyes locked and for a moment, a feeling of understanding passed between them. "I know I should have been more careful, and I wanted to give you more notice--but hell does not sleep in it's grave, you know. You can help me, you already have. I know my message wasn't exactly detailed.  But I think saving the world is more worth my time than a note to my worry-wart sister."  
  
The blonde's eyes shot wide open. "Worry wart?!" Usagi shrieked furiously.  
  
Hinotama nodded, never losing the glint in her eyes, "Yes.  Please relax, Usagi, you know that worrying so will give you wrinkles!"   
  
"You are as irritating as the day I met you!" Usagi quipped playfully, folding her arms and glancing away.   
  
"And you are as silly and naïve as the day I met _you_!"  A short silence followed until the two felt smiles crossing their lips, breaking the tension.    
  
"Just, shut up," Usagi cut in, as her sister was ready to say something as her laughs slightly stifled her voice.  "Can we please be civilized now? You said I had training to do, so why don't we proceed?"  
  
Hinotama nodded in compliance. "Did you eat already?"  
  
Usagi nodded in turn, "I had something after I woke up.  I just need to change."   
  
The two left one another and went their separate ways, and soon enough both were dressed in their street apparel. The blonde came out first, her long blonde tresses pulled up into a tight bun, clothed in her black leather pants and form fitting black tank.  Hinotama followed suit in a fresh pair of dark pants and matching tank top.  She although, had her hair pulled up into an intricate twist, the tips curled on the top of her head and cascading down her cheeks.  "Very stylish for street fighting."  
  
"Only the best."  Hinotama led Usagi over to the West wall and knocked twice upon a bare section of the concrete. In response, a door swung open with a low grumble and the two advanced inside to a dimly candlelit room.    
  
"Any other surprises I should be expecting?" Usagi inquired, a bit in awe.    
  
"Just this!" Hinotama exclaimed as she whipping around, intruding a swift kick into her sister.  Usagi although, with her Senshi training, blocked with her arms crossed in front of her chest.  Hinotama recoiled with a smile and bowed, laughing a bit. "I'm impressed! You've got wonderful reflexes...perhaps your senshi days have truly paid off."  
  
"I fought long and hard then...the battles..." Usagi agreed, reminiscing. Her thoughts continued to shift back to her friends and Mamoru. How she wished that they knew...  
  
"We won't have to train for long.  After all, the final day is coming and our fight is only just begun," Hinotama continued, stretching her arms above her head while she spoke.   
  
Usagi walked around a bit, flexing her arms and legs. "The final day?"  
  
Hinotama nodded and the two crossed the room, their destination a large chestnut china closet located in one of the corners of the immense training area. Inside were numerous weapons: guns, knives, bullets, stakes, and even charms arranged against a large, black backboard.  "I'll explain later, it's not worth troubling yourself with at this point.  Right now, however, I am going to give you the basic street fighting techniques.  You know them better as karate and the martial arts.  And of course, the wielding of weaponry. See that punching bag over there?"    
  
The blonde nodded, her hands pressed to her hips as she surveyed the room. "I am assuming I'm going to be doing some boxing today, ne?"   
  
"Good, you're smart too," Hinotama teased, brilliant eyes sparkling. The room had almost an ancient, gothic appeal with the wrought candle holders mounted on the cool, slate walls. "This, sister, is called a punching bag."  Usagi shot Hinotama a sarcastic smirk.  
  
"Thanks for the info," the moon rabbit responded sarcastically, grinning.   
  
"Anytime.  Now, as I was saying, street fighting isn't improvised.  It's planning and strategy.  And you get all of this and more from Ninjutsu.  I'll give you an example."  Hinotama raised the lighting of the room with a flick of her wrists and approached the punching bag.  Standing 7 feet away, with her back to it, Hinotama slid easily into a strong back flip, which landed in a handstand.  Within a second of contact with the ground, Hinotama hoisted herself off of her hands and flew into the hanging punching bag with a strong flip kick.    
  
"I can't do that!" Usagi whispered in awe.  
  
"If you're Sailor Moon, I think you'll be fine, sister.  Now, come over here, I'll teach you some basic stuff."  Hinotama waited patiently, and as the blonde approached thought to herself, 'God help us all.'   
  
For the next hour and a half, the two girls spent their time focusing on strategy, technique, force behind attacks, and agility.  Then, after Usagi collapsed to the ground from exhaustion with a laugh, the girls proceeded back into the shelter for a break.    
  
"I am so tired," the blonde murmured after flinging herself onto her cot and sighing. "I want to sleep now."  
  
"So the rumor about the lazy civilian Moon Princess is true," Hinotama giggled as she took a sip of a water bottle she pulled out from the fridge.    
  
"That would be?"  
  
"That you're a lazy blonde who somehow manages to make things right in the end!"  Hinotama slumped into a chair and laughed.    
  
"Thanks.  That sounds like something Rei would say," Usagi mumbled sitting up.    
  
"Relax will ya?  I am very proud of you, and the fact that your training has progressed immensely and that you have adjusted well to this hell on earth is wonderful!"  The brunette tossed Usagi another water bottle, one she accepted eagerly.    
  
"I have to admit, it's not that bad right now…but I know it will get worse as we go along."  Usagi's eyes scanned the room, she was quiet and only the sound of their breathing could be heard.  The battery-powered clock on the east wall read about 10:30 on Sunday morning.  It wasn't as late as Usagi had figured, but with no light to guide their thoughts…it didn't really make that much of a difference.  "When do I get my chance to fight?"  
  
"Chill, Rambo.  We have some time before patrolling.  Besides, the are some people I would like you to meet.  After all, living in a world without allies is something even I do not want to deal with."   
  
"You drag me down here and expect me to wait for my chance to let loose on these creeps?  You're nuts!"  
  
"Usagi, don't be stubborn like Hikari!" Hinotama quipped as she leaned back in her chair.  Immediately Hinotama stopped herself and her posture stiffened. Her once carefree expression faded quickly, and her bright eyes were now visibly watering.  
  
"Who's Hikari?" Usagi inquired in an almost whisper.  Her blue eyes widened innocently as she sat up.  Through the early morning hours, Usagi had learned basic fighting: using stakes, pistols, chains, and skilled Ninjutsu.  But now, her sister who had guided her so well…was showing a deep scar in her soul.   
  
Standing, Hinotama turned her back slightly, the left side of her face could be seen through her thick hair that was now draping across her shoulders.    
  
"She was one of my guardians…" Hinotama replied, only one side of her face exposed.  A single crystal tear slid down her cheek and Hinotama hastily wiped it away.  
  
"I'm so sorry…Hinotama, I-   
  
"Usagi-chan.  I lost them because they kept me in the dark." Hinotama turned about to face Usagi, her eyes lowered and narrow as she recalled the painful memories. "Hikari, Kasumi, Hayashi, and Meirou!  I hadn't sensed the darkness, and they never told me that they _had_.  They thought they were protecting me...and because they were acting as my loyal friends and guardians…"  
  
"Hino?"  
  
"I watched them die," Hinotama finished, her expression serious and sorrowful.    
  
"I'm sorry," Usagi said lowering her head.   
  
"I'll tell you about them someday…and maybe you can tell me about your friends too.  Agreed?" Hinotama said softly, holding back tears again.   
  
"Agreed," Usagi answered. She could tell that Hinotama was doing her best to lighten her spirits despite the circumstances, but even Usagi knew how painful it was to lose those she loved.   
  
'Usagi, if only you knew...how I miss all of you. I wish you were here,' Hinotama's thoughts wandered, and once again she was nearly forced to tears. Rather than falling apart before the young blonde, however, Hinotama went over to the floor rack and pulled out a few items of weaponry.  She rummaged through for a few moments and finally tossed an empty PP7 special issue along with a pack of bullets toward Usagi. Hinotama in turn began to arm herself with various instruments.   
  
"What are we doing?" Usagi inquired, turning the gun over and examining it, sheerly intrigued.   
  
"You wanted to go out and give this street fighting thing a chance, hai?"  Usagi nodded eagerly.  "Then suit up, chica--and buckle up…it's gonna be a bumpy ride."  The blonde felt a wide smile plaster itself across her face and immediately she armed herself with the necessities.    
  
"Hinotama…now you'll get to see why all the evil in my world is gone.  And you want to know why?"  
  
"Because all of it is here?" Hinotama quipped sarcastically.  "Listen, Usa, let's move out.  We'll save our boasting and victory speeches…for when we have a victory."   
  
"Heh, funny," Usagi smirked with a slight hint of offense.  "Well anyway, I'm ready."  
  
"Before we go, Usagi.  Tell me…how is Chibi-Usa?"  
  
"How-how do you know about her?" the blonde's eyes went wide in exclamation.  
  
Hinotama whipped around, fully armed in weaponry.  Her pants loops were entwined with a chain, one was equipped with a stake, and her back pocket held a fully loaded gun.  Her hair was flying around her, wavy and beautiful.  But most of all her eyes…so graceful and deep…but could search and read your soul…were glowing almost in a haunting manner.  Her lips parted to reveal a cocky, but entirely confident smile.  "You think I wouldn't know my own niece?"       
  
  
Chapter 5 revised as of 1/20/2002.   
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Bleeding Hearts

  


I do not own Sailor Moon. This is my property--enjoy...yeah. ^__^  
  
Falling Stars  
  


Chapter 6  
  
Hinotama grabbed Usagi by the wrist, roughly ripping her back into the safety of the alley shadows. The sisters glanced at one another, the blonde bewildered and the brunette entirely focused.  It was already late and the two girls had begun their assaults upon the hellworld, at least trying to teach Usagi the ins and outs of street battle.  Street battle that is, in Hinotama's world. Usagi, meanwhile glared at her sister with a face that went unnoticed in the dark. The blonde merely knelt, rubbing her wrist and trying to shake off the severity of her sister's grasp.  "Did you have to do that?" Usagi hissed just above a whisper, clutching her arm.  
  
Holding up a hand, the brunette motioned out towards the street, where a pod of Scorpia were now passing by.  There were about six, each walking on all fours in a large spherical formation. Hinotama was right about the connection between their namesake and appearance--they truly resembled scorpions in both their build and their stance. "This is a golden opportunity.  On five you take that small one over there," Hinotama instructed, her eyes locked on the pod.   
  
"Why the smaller ones?  Am I so inexperienced?" Usagi quipped, a bit insulted. Their bright gazes locked.  Hinotama just ran a hand through her long hair and shook her head.  
  
"Do you want to die today, Usagi?"  Her voice was quiet, intense, and sincerely dark; the blonde acquiesced and immediately settled into preparation under her orders. Crouching in cat-like stances, they eyed their prey carefully, awaiting the moment of onslaught. The air was silent with the exception of the low growls emitted by the passing pod. It was then that the two girls, cloaked in shadows, darted out from their haven and launched their attack. The spirited young Hinotama quickly dove into the center of the action and flipped onto the back of a larger Scorpia, quickly impaling it with a knife along its spine. In a ferocious outbreak of surprise, the pod spread out as the remaining creatures prepared to defend themselves. Hinotama leapt off of the back of the fallen demon and spun around to face two of its oncoming kin. With a cry the brunette launched herself at them and swiftly took them down with her skillful Ninjutsu.   
  
Usagi meanwhile took on her aforementioned orders and circled around one of the younger demons carefully.  Its eyes glowed brightly as it studied her, and without warning, the four-legged beast leapt forth and slammed its head into her side, knocking the normally-odangoed young woman to the cold, dirty ground. "HINO!" she screamed in alarm, desperately trying to push the lunging mass away as it hung above her.  The Scorpia dangled its claws over her face and snarled viciously as its tail swung wildly in the air. All the time Usagi could hear a high pitched screech resonating from its mangled mouth, one that was delicately aligned with razor teeth.  With a desperate kick, Usagi managed to force the scorpian-like enigma off of her and to its side; the blonde immediately flipped up onto her feet.  Just regaining her composure, Usagi gulped and staggered back, only to witness another spectacle. Out of nowhere, a flash of movement zoomed past her and into the demon. It seemed that within a span of seconds the demon was no more than a deadened shell. A cloud of dust had been kicked up in the struggle, and as it cleared, Usagi's breath caught in her throat.    
  
"You have to be more careful, Usa!  You could have gotten hurt!" Hinotama scolded, her eyes narrowed and her expression serious.   
  
"It was an accident, it's not my fault!" the young woman countered, clearly upset. Her blonde hair was a mess now as errant locks streamed out of her tight bun and around her bangs.   
  
"You have to be accountable for your actions--they decide whether or not you live!" Hinotama snapped, walked towards her sister. A filthy wind picked up and rustled her chestnut tresses that fell around her mid-back.   
  
"Don't tell me what to do!"  Usagi exclaimed, eyes flickering as she threw her stake onto the ground. The pod had spread out now, for most of them lay dead on the crumbled pavement--others fled into the eternal night to regroup.  Now only the girls remained in the midst of the obliterated street.   
  
"You don't know this place, Usagi!  You could have very well died!  You are no match for these creatures without your Moon powers; now you must master my skills.  We have no choice but to fight and to destroy these pitiful excuse for a dynasty.  Or else our universe is lost!" Hinotama shot back, her body still and disciplined.   
  
"Everything is about _your_ world, isn't it?" Usagi replied, clenching her fists. "All you talk about is how my actions affect my life--how one wrong step could _end_ my life. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were making this up just to keep me here--so you wouldn't have to suffer alone!" Hinotama stared at her and laughed.  
  
"Oh, why, yes, Usagi! Of course, I've concocted this entire hell before us," Hinotama spat, motioning to the world around them. "I condemned my friends and family--including the world--just so I could have a playmate. God! Do you ever think for one minute about anyone but yourself?"  
  
"You treat me like a child--  
  
"That's all you are here! A child--a spoiled, sheltered child that spends her time thinking about boys and clothing. I can't believe I thought you be of any help--"  
  
"You'd never understand what I've been through. No one possibly could, I can't believe I expected that you of all people would," Usagi stammered, now faltering. "Will you just back off, I was the Moon Princess.  I will become a Neo-  
  
Suddenly Hinotama averted her gaze. "No, Usa," she interrupted, her voice low as her eyes purposely avoided Usagi's.  "You will never become Neo-Queen Selenity.  Not in this world, _never_ here.  Usagi, you will not live the life you were destined to fulfill.  This is your destiny now.  I am willing to die for this miserable planet...I don't even know if I can even call it _that_.  But you have to stop pushing around your old life, because here...it doesn't amount to anything." Hinotama's wide eyes closed for a moment, and it seemed she was holding back tears. But Usagi, however, who had remained silent, could no longer contain fury.   
  
"How dare you?  You arrogant, backstabbing Princess!  You ripped me from my happy life, and stick me in this hell hole, expecting me to let go of my dreams and my friends!  Then you lecture my about how self-centered and cruel I am!  Your heart is empty and cold...your life revolves around a world that is no longer. You are most certainly NOT my sister!" Usagi closed her eyes, and folded her arms indignantly.    
  
Within seconds, a flash of pain radiated throughout her left cheek, and touching a hand to it, Usagi realized she'd just been slapped.  "Tsukino Usagi, you are still the same selfish, sheltered, and hopeless Princess you were known to be in the Silver Millennium.  And do NOT tell me how I ripped you away from your friends and family!  Be thankful your friends are **_alive_**!  My friends, my family, my mother...my siblings...my boyfriend...everyone I have ever loved is dead.  I can thank the overlords for that.  But do not claim to be so pious and completely self-righteous.  You understand peril and pain and suffering--like I. But how can you say such things, when I know for a fact that you were planning to leave the Sailor Senshi to head out on your own in another country?!" Hinotama screamed, ignoring the fact that her yells made them more vulnerable to attack.  Her brilliant eyes were smoldering, her lips frozen in their enraged snarl.    
  
"I--Usagi stopped short, utterly stunned. Words would not form upon her trembling lips, for she had nothing to say; her statement about leaving the Senshi was true...her motives...her claims...all made for herself.  The blonde gingerly touched her cheek and hung her head.  Tears welled up within her wide blue eyes and shamefully she lifted her guilt and sincerity-filled gaze. Her lips parted to speak, but her words were quelled as a sudden, horrified scream escaped her sister's lips.  
  
"USA!  Look out!" she shrieked, eyes like saucers. In what seemed like a nano-second, a demonic monstrosity rose behind Usagi, it's scorpion-tail poised and about to plunge through her back. Instantaneously, Hinotama shot forwards and latched her arms around Usagi's waist, ripping her to the ground and knocking her to the side.   
  
The rabbit let out a high-pitched cry as she tumbled through the rubble, sliding this way and that from the force of her sister's momentous toss. The blonde landed on her side against a large, overturned rock, her arms outstretched and her legs curled behind her. The air was silent, and Usagi could hear nothing but the furious pounding of her heart.  
  
"Hinotama?" she inquired in a desperately soft call. No reply. With her stomach against the rock, Usagi lifted her torso up with her arms. "Hino-chan!  Hinotama, onegai! Where are you!" Again, no reply came. Immediately filled with worry, the young woman flipped onto her back and slid down off of the rock and onto the ground. She scanned the massive rubble for any sign of her sister, and her eyes settled on the large crumpled corpse of the fallen demon.  Its life had faded with the aid of Hinotama's reactions and lightening quick attacks. Usagi took a few cautious steps through the rocks, her eyes narrowing in frustration. "Hinotama?" The blonde's blue eyes finally fell upon another form, one that was curled on its side, and completely silent. "HINO!"     
  
In a burst of speed, Usagi went to her sister's side and flung herself onto her knees. She gripped Hinotama by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Wake up, please wake up!" Usagi begged, her voice strained.  
  
But it was to no avail.  The filthy air whipped Hinotama's hair about, settling errant strands over her closed eyes. The trembling young woman gently pushed them away, all the while desperately shaking Hinotama in an attempt to wake her.  A now crying Usagi moved Hinotama's rich hair to the side and slid her arm around the fallen girl's waist, hoping to hoist her injured sister in sitting position.  Suddenly Usagi's hand was engulfed in a strange warmth. She let out a terrified scream, realizing that her hand was covered in a red, sticky substance.  Eyes wide, body shaking, and her screams echoing on the dry, musty air, Usagi discovered that it was not her own blood...but her sister's.    
  
  
Chapter 6 revised as of 1/21/2002. 


	7. Nocturnal

I do not own Sailor Moon--but this is my story! Enjoy & Please Review!  


  


Falling Stars  


  
Chapter 7  
  
Usagi continued to scream, even knowing that it made both she and her wounded sister all the more vulnerable to attack. The intense crimson of the substance upon her hands made the young woman feel as if she had been branded--with sorrow, destruction, and more importantly: death. The blonde wiped a stream of tears from her eyes, ignoring the blood that was smeared across her hands and clothes--and now her cheek. "I have to get you out of here…Hinotama. You saved me even though I didn't deserve saving…" the young soldier rationalized, struggling to gain control of her senses. Usagi looped an arm around her sister's neck and the other behind the back of her knees, trying to lift and cradle her at once. "I can't carry you, if I do, I could injure you further. Hino, tell me this isn't the end!"   
  
Usagi was becoming hysterical and afraid of hurting her sister, she rested Hinotama against the ground as her mind clouded over with frantic thoughts. 'I didn't know...Hinotama, I didn't know! It was a mistake...it was meant for me. I didn't deserve your sacrifice...now I am going to lose you too…and there is no help for this world.'   
  
The blonde shuddered and lightly touched her fingertips to Hinotama's cheek, supressing sobs that were bubbling beneath the exterior. Usagi remained on her knees, her head hung solemnly as she shook with guilt. A fresh stream of tears found its way down Usagi's smooth complexion and onto Hinotama's muddied clothing. "Hino..." she wept, her voice strained. An unexpected clicking sound, however, echoed from the alley beside them and quickly tore Usagi from her mourning.   
  
"Who's there?" she demanded upon reaching her feet, rounding about and wielding her handgun carefully. At that very moment, Usagi looked like a lost assassin--her golden hair waving wildly about and her eyes glittering dangerously as she fought to hold steady in her grip the shining ebony barrel. "Show yourself!" she cried once again, her stance faltering. Nausea and intense dizziness were blurring her senses until a sleek, elegant form glided out from the shadows.   
  
"Come with me! Hinotama must be saved!" the form cried, the urgent voice distinctly feminine. Usagi's dark gaze fell upon the form, which happened to be a girl not much older than she. Her long, satiny-black hair was pulled up into a tight ponytail, the mane cascading down her back. The young woman's eyes were a bright, flashing lapis-lazuli beneath the cover of darkness that seemed to surround the very planet. "Hurry up, before they return!" she entreated of Usagi, brazenly approaching Hinotama. Without Usagi's consent, she lifted Hinotama carefully into her arms.   
  
"I didn't mean to--I'm sorry..." Usagi babbled incoherently as the girl turned to face her, Hinotama in tow.   
  
"Onegai! We don't have much time!" the young woman urged, her tone warning. Immediately, Usagi snapped out of her stupor and raced off into the unknown with the nocturnal savior--her unconscious sister along for the ride.   
  
*~*~*  
  
The immense, concrete room was dimly lit by several candles on the edge of the room, nearly burnt out by now. Despite its false security, the location presented refuge to many that were otherwise at a loss for protection. At least twenty people inhabited the room--their gender, age, and appearance ranging throughout a variety of spectrums. The larger portion were teenagers to young adults, in addition to the mothers, fathers, and solitary individuals that resided in such a place. Several beds lined the walls and sleeping mats scattered the floor, blankets in abundance.   
  
It was a home.   
  
Usagi had meanwhile come to such a refuge, not knowing what would become of she and her sister. She had been forced to place her trust entirely in a stranger--which at one time in her life, would not have been the trial it was mere moments before. She remained in the larger area, teary eyed with the other occupants, as a few forms worked feverishly over her sister in an adjacent room to save her life. "My sister." The words were as dull in tone as they were in content. Usagi felt as if the very life had been drained from her--as if the very world was weighing down on her and the impenetrable darkness was drawing its thick curtain around her and closing her off from anything else.   
  
When she had first arrived, both she and the young woman--and Hinotama--burst through a large, metal door from the outside world onto a flat platform. The summit platform led down onto a winding, dimly-lit staircase and upon reaching the bottom, the trio entered an immense shelter area. Usagi at first figured it to be another simple dwelling like the one she and Hinotama shared, but it was proving to be far more. Time, however, no longer allowed for analysis as Usagi and the young woman rushed a fading Hinotama through a group of horrified and sorrowful onlookers into a large, surprisingly-modern medical facility at the end of a lamplit corridor. From that point on, Usagi could remember little, as she had been sent away--sobbing hysterically--as the strange individuals went to work on Hinotama.   
  
"You are Usagi, are you not?" The concept of human interaction seemed foreign to Usagi now as she sat despondently in the metal chair outside the medical facilities. Weak with physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion,the blonde girl made no attempt to answer the imposing voice. "I said, are you Usagi?" the voice persisted, a bit more pressing this time. Finally, the odangoed young woman shifted her gaze to the speaker; it was the same black haired girl who had come to save Hinotama.   
  
"I," she began disoriented and blank, "Yes, I'm Usagi. Is my sister--is she all right?" Usagi awaited an answer from the young woman and straightened her posture within the chair, arching her back with a wince. She ran her hands through her golden hair, which by now had fallen out of its arrangement. The other girl meanwhile dragged a chair to their vicinity and sat down beside her, offering a slight smile.   
  
"She suffered a critical wound, but we have the best working to save her. Hinotama is in good hands, Princess."   
  
Usagi lifted her eyes. "How do you…"   
  
"Listen to me, Usagi, your sister has fought long and hard to bring light and life back to this dead planet. We have been through what is seems like years, which in reality has only been months, of torment and suffering. Hinotama, our Princess, promised to battle for us and our universe. She was ready to die in the name of our people, and this disgusting place we call home. But she brought you here, Tsukino Usagi. Her other half, her celestial twin. We have new hope."  
  
New hope...had they given up on Hinotama that easily? If she was their Princess and she had been fighting so fiercely for them, then how could they carry such an apathetic attitude? She was **_not_** her sister's replacement. After all, Usagi knew that she could never adequately replace her.   
  
With a jolt of energy, Usagi turned her narrowed eyes upon the girl. "How can you say that?" she inquired venomously, standing. She motioned around the room angrily, but mournful tears poured from her expressive eyes. "You have women, young children, and even cowardice men hiding in fear of their lives in this God forsaken hell world! How can you have new hope when I will be the one responsible for the death of my own sister?" A hush fell over the room, deepening the already eerie silence. A shriek arose from a tiny baby on the other side of the room, and already Usagi regretted her outburst. The mother over yonder was trying desperately to calmly quiet her child, but Usagi's timely explosion had frightened the poor dear. Acting on reflex, the blonde stepped away from the black-haired savior and followed the cries, weaving her way through the clump of fearful people. The expressions upon their faces seemed to read that they were in total mortification of her--horrified. Had she always been so crass and spiteful? As she walked, their frightened and rueful gazes followed her. They were painful. It was hurtful to know that she was once again the source of pain within others. Then finally, Usagi came to the area from where the baby's cries originated, and she could now see the angelic child crying into her mother's shoulder.   
  
"Usagi," the ebony-haired girl cried out from behind, "It is not your fault. It is Fate that has brought us here, and no matter what happens now; the Sun and the Moon will find a way to defeat this evil. Hinotama is like family to me…to all of us. And I know that when she made the promise to save us all--she meant to keep it." Noting the girl's statement, Usagi rested a hand on the baby's mother, and smiled sincerely. The woman's horrified expression softened, and the baby immediately ceased its crying. The woman's eyes were a soft gray, complemented by the rich, curly brown hair that rested around her shoulders. Even her infant daughter was graced with the same, quiet and compassionate features.   
  
"May I?" Usagi inquired, opening her embrace. The mother locked eyes with Usagi, studying her almost for a moment before consenting. Usagi smiled at the little girl, taking her into her arms.   
  
"I am sorry for my selfishness. My sister has lost everyone she has ever loved, and I sat by and complained about having my friends and family alive. I was wrong; and I took for granted what I have had. No matter how many battles I have fought, won, or lost; I never learned what it was to be empty…to be completely without hope. And now, I will do for Hinotama what she did for you…I will stop this nightmare…even if it means my demise." Another quiet settled over the room.   
  
"Ever so dramatic, but that won't be necessary, Usa," a slightly hoarse, but chipper voice echoed from the center of the room. Hinotama smiled from the wheeled-cot the doctors had placed her on for recovery. Her side was bandaged well, and her face and back were cleaned and fresh. Not only that, but her eyes now held their familiar sparkle once again. "Because we will do it together." Usagi could only allow her eyes to well up with tears, and sob thankfully. Giving the child back to its mother, the blonde went to her sister and threw herself onto the floor, taking Hinotama's free hand into her own.   
  
"Why did you save me? I was a liability and I could've gotten you killed," Usagi whispered seriously, her eyes focused solely on Hinotama. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back in a golden waterfall, touching nearly the floor as she knelt. Her sister looked like an angel lying there, and even throughout the whole ordeal her eyes were still dazzling and fearless. They sat for a moment, silent and lost in thought--but both maintained an air of utter gratitude.   
  
"Usagi, you are my sister, you are my worldly half. Do you think I'd give you up too?" Hinotama shook her head. "I am tired of losing everyone I love, and I refuse to let those monsters take the ones I have left. And really, Usagi-chan! You would have done the same for me." A smile crossed their faces simultaneously. Usagi nodded knowingly, realizing she too would give up her life for her family and friends. "Sis, I would like you to meet a close friend and fellow fighter of mine. This, Usa," the brunette said motioning to the familiar dark-haired young woman who was now sitting opposite Usagi, "is Myou."  
  
Usagi looked at the girl and smiled. "Myou, thank you for saving my sister."  
  
"Princess, it was my honor. Hinotama has been my friend since we were children, almost like we're family. We would do anything for each other. She saved me once long ago, and I was repaying the favor," she replied, friendly.   
  
Hinotama quickly caught Myou's attention by attempting to sit up, her eyes carrying the familiar glint of one who is intent upon accomplishing set goals. Myou knew the look all too well. "Myou, we need to get a patrol party together. Usagi still needs training…she still needs to tap into her gift--  
  
"Whoa, hold on there, Hino-sama. You're staying here. I refuse to let you out of this place looking like this. You're an absolute mess-and a piece of work to boot. You know that Usagi will be in good hands with us and her gift will kick in on its own time. You learned that yourself, Hinotama."  
  
"Don't be stubborn!" the bed-ridden young woman replied, her tone playful.   
  
"Me? Stop acting like Hikari! She would have beaten you up if you tried to slip out of this place!"   
  
"Hikari?" Usagi interrupted, her voice soft. "How do you know about her?" She noticed that when Myou raised the subject, Hinotama had not become saddened as she had before.  
  
Myou turned her brilliant lapis lazuli eyes upon Usagi. "Usagi-san, Hikari was my sister." The blonde nodded quietly in response, unwilling to offer anything more. She couldn't help but feel a little left out, and yet, she felt a pang of anger towards herself. Usagi could no longer afford to be so self-absorbed. Meanwhile, Myou's maternal instincts and hovering continued over their bedridden friend. "Now, the two of you must rest." Myou accepted their submission and helped them settle into the more comfortable quarters of the shelter.  
  
*~*~*   
  
It was silent now, approximately 12:30 in the morning-or what was considered to be. The sky was an intense black, and the grimy, brown clouds turned the world into a miserable desert of shadows. Myou quietly slipped out of the shelter through the immense metal door, content with the knowledge that everyone else was asleep and that she would not be discovered. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and her lapis lazuli eyes guided her through the darkness. She had a distinct knowledge of where she was going and why. She had work to do and a master to serve.   
  
Myou's long overcoat flapped on the stale air as she arrived at her destination far from the safe house, deep within the central parts of what remained of the metropolis city. The door was rusted steel and tall, almost a story and a half. It was locked, but nevertheless she raised a hand and knocked.   
  
"Open up will you?" she hissed impatiently, her bright eyes narrowing. Almost at her command, the door swung open and Myou was sucked in with the draft. "That's better," she murmured as the wind almost pushed her along to her point of focus. The whispers of lost souls tickled her ears and the stale air licked at her, unforgiving. A startling hush fell over the world, and at once Myou knew she had arrived. The room was pitch black, and nothing remained but a voice.   
  
"Daughter of Darkness, have you successfully completed your objectives?" a mechanical, yet oddly feminine voice rang out.   
  
"Grand Master of the Zodiac, my objectives are in the process of completion," Myou replied head bowed, her overcoat dropping to the floor to reveal a long, form-fitting black dress. As if by command, a golden light fell over the room, mainly falling upon two distinct figures. Myou was kneeling on the left, her head bowed, and the other light fell upon a gruesome looking monstrosity, wielding a silver staff.   
  
"Myou, your services are no longer needed," the voice rang out, apathetic. "You've served your purpose." The being flicked their wrist and at once the mission-driven Myou became completely disoriented. She dropped to her knees wordlessly; eyes blank as her attire melted back to that of what she wore earlier. A flood of memories ran back to her, ripping through her skull as the prior presence of blackness living within her faded. It was like another person inhabited the shell of her body.   
  
Myou leaned forwards on the palms of her hands, still on her knees as she became fully aware of her surroundings. "What…what am I doing here? Where am I?" she trailed off in confusion. Finally her gaze widened in realization, and met the other form in horror.   
  
"I couldn't possibly allow you to survive, knowing the identities and whereabouts of the Dark Ones could I, Myou-chan?" the form giggled strangely, using the denotation of friendship as form of mockery.   
  
Myou's lapis lazuli eyes became saucer-like with rage and she shot to her feet, fists balled. Her beautiful black hair fell around her shoulders, mirroring the darkness around she and the monstrosity. "They will destroy you! All of you disgusting creatures!" Myou's last words echoed on the sour air as the overlord flicked its wrist, and the girl--now enveloped in darkness--was no more than a pile of dust.   
  
  
  
Revised as of 3/2/2002.   
  
  



	8. Losing

  
I do not own Sailor Moon. This story is mine, hah! Enjoy everyone and please I beg you! Review for me...please? ^.^;  
  
  
Falling Stars  
  


Chapter 8  


  


Usagi sat up in bed late that night. She hastily threw the rough cotton sheets to the edge of the cot and huffed, pushing away errant locks of gold that invaded her blurred sight. There was no point in keeping track of the time or date anymore. After all, what were the chances she'd survive, or even succeed in rectifying the grave mistake the Dark Ones caused by invading this world? Often Usagi wondered what this world really was--or had been. Hinotama had said it was a universe parallel to her own, an exact copy except with different people. The planets, and even the resources and astronomical characteristics were identical, though perhaps labeled with alternate names. It came as little surprise to Usagi that Hinotama, too, once had her own senshi. Their purpose much resembled that of Usagi and her own, if not held a greater significance to the planet they protected. In Hinotama's world, they were revered and praised...looked upon as saints. But they were dead, and even in light of this, Usagi could relate; she having had and lost her own once before that is.   
  
But was this place **_really_** once a beautiful home world? Such a possibility seemed impossible, seeing as how darkness was a permanent resident. The blonde had by now become accustomed to the complete darkness day in and day out. That is, if day even existed anylonger. For now, she inhabitated a comfortable, though somewhat cramped dwelling within the shelter, which was separate than Hinotama's prior location across town. It was one of the main headquarters where many in hiding met and fled to after the fall of the universe to darkness. It was seemingly primative, but served its purpose and held a variety of modern conveniences and technologies Usagi thought only to be a dream. It was composed of three, large, main rooms underground: a nursing station, an enormous living space for those in hiding, and two small offices adjascent to the living space. In additon to the obvious "nuances," a vast amount of corridors and hallways ran off from the main areas and to the surface. Their fairly lit lengths held secrets housing places possibly more advanced than what Usagi had already seen. God only knew what type of surprises lay down those corridors.   
  
And yet, Usagi could not help but feel bitterly angry. 'I hate this god forsaken hole.' Usagi looked over at the bunk beside hers and sighed quietly. She could see Hinotama sleeping, although not too deeply, on her own cot. Her eyes were shut tight, and her face was littered with an aggravated expression. Cascading chestnut hair fell over her closed lids softly, reminding Usagi of herself. Two weeks they'd been locked up to recuperate and heal. Not necessarily locked up, but being closed in for so long was stifling. Hinotama was restless and eager to get back out and fight after the first two days. It wasn't her strong suit to be patient and quiet. In fact, she was just as outspoken and loud as her sister Usa. On the other hand, Usagi could now see why her friends back home became so irritated with her. She was just too hyper and fidgety to be held in one place for a long time. Hino was like her reflection, however, driven by a differing morale and goal.   
  
'She is so strong, and she'll fight to the death...I was like that once. Once that is...so long ago. Was it really so long? Have I fought so long and hard only to turn my back on my friends? And this world? What is this place? I mean...my sister...a parallel universe? I thought life was complicated enough just having ChibiUsa for a future daughter and present "cousin". What a joke things have turned out to be.' The young woman's lips parted and she released an inaudible sigh. Usagi rubbed her eyes groggily and lay back onto her cot. The mattress was stiff and uncomfortable, and nevertheless shooting pains began their tirade up Usa's spine. The blonde's hair was let out and fell into her eyes and twisted beneath her back. She felt dirty, and tired, and fed-up all at once. This world was having a pretty miserable effect on the young future White Moon Queen.   
  
"I hate this place..." she muttered bitterly as she finally flipped onto her side and bit her lip.   
  
"So do I," Hinotama's voice rang out in reply.   
  
*~*~*  
  
"Myou has been gone for weeks now, and not a single trace has been brought back by our search teams!" a young man of about 22 shouted, slamming a furious fist onto the already rickety table of the shelter office. The boy beside him, whom of which was one year younger, grimaced at his act and hung his head. The aforementioned boy was Cody, a cheerful, but incredibly clever and spirited young man as well as a fighter. His wild green eyes and short blonde hair reflected his personality, as well as the skill he possessed on the battlefield.   
  
"Jerrid, we've been searching for weeks now. Myou was like blood to me...to all of us. I know you're upset...but-  
  
"UPSET? Do you realize just how **_big_** of a problem this is? Hinotama was close friends with her, almost like a sister. She was the last living link our Sun Princess had to what remains of our joyous past. And now Myou is gone too. All you can say is that you're sorry?!" Jerrid raged. His eyes of glowing amber were furious beneath his unruly midnight hair.   
  
As if a cord had snapped within him, Cody bolted up out of his chair and gripped the man opposite him by the collar. "Jerrid, you know that's not why!" Cody growled, blinking his emerald eyes angrily. "I cared for Myou, with all of my heart. You know that. It's taking all I've got not to break down when I think about losing her. Hikari, all the senshi, and now my Myou...Hinotama has suffered far too much." His grip tightened for a moment then abruptly loosened, and Cody backed away from the other man. He shoved his hands into his black fatigue pants and his matching solid black tank was almost navy beneath the swinging light above. "Do you really think Hino-chan can withstand the pressure? Can you?"  
  
"How dare you insult-   
  
"If you call this quiet, I'd hate to sample your bedside manner," Usagi quipped from the office doorway, her blue eyes slightly cold and her blonde hair flowing behind her. "Do you think it wise to discuss Hinotama and her best friend behind closed doors? You never know who could be listening." Jerrid stood a full foot or so above Usagi, and Cody about the same. Their gazes connected and their minds wandered to her sudden entrance.  
  
The two men exchanged glances. Usagi walked past the two and sat down, folding her arms, "She's dead isn't she?" Her voice, contrasting completely with the previous statement, was so ragged, unhappy, and fearful it was startling to both Jerrid and Cody.   
  
Cody spoke up gently, his eyes seeming to quiver as he choked back tears, "Usagi, we did our best to search for her. But nothing has turned up and the frequency of attacks is growing with each time we patrol. There is no other answer..."   
  
At this Usagi hung her head and glanced away. "Hinotama has lost everything. Her friends, her family, everyone she ever loved. Myou was like her last living connection to her lost life...and now she is gone too. I feel so selfish--all of my friends and family are safe at home. And all I can do is complain about this place. I didn't deserve for her to save my life..." Cody settled a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
  
"We all make mistakes, Usagi. It isn't your fault our world is like this, but you are here and that is all that matters. We can change things, for our future."   
  
"Cody, Hinotama isn't going to take this well. In the back of her mind, she knows the truth, but her heart is unwilling to accept it. I want to cry everytime she smiles, knowing that deep inside she is in agony. She hates this world, she hates this life, and all she can think about is avenging those who were lost, and protecting those here. Hinotama is so selfless, and so giving. How can **_I_** be called "Princess" when she is true and kind?"   
  
"We'll find a way...there has to be a way..." Jerrid whispered. "Hino-chan is strong, and loving. You and your sister will find a way to save us all." The young woman glanced up at him and took note of the intense sparkle in his eyes at the mention of Hinotama's name. It was strange, how quickly it appeared and faded once he realized Usagi was staring.   
  
'He cares for her deeply...but then again **_everyone_** loves and respects her. She is the true Princess, who is just and loving. I am the selfish outsider...but I can change that. Hino knows, and being my sister ensures she understands. That's all that matters. Oh, Myou, if you are truly lost, I will avenge you, not for my self validation, but for Hinotama.' Usagi sighed and closed her eyes. Jerrid suddenly felt more at ease, knowing that Usagi was a mirror of her sister and that she was trustworthy.  
  
"Usagi-san," he spoke up. The girl's eyes immediately fluttered open as her gaze settled on the handsome man. "I would like to be the one to tell her...to tell Hino-hime about Myou. But for now, we are going to continue our searches. Go back to sleep, Moon Princess. You will need your rest for the upcoming patrols. We need to get to work with our plans and launch our attacks into action before the hell lords catch on." Jerrid and Cody offered the blonde kind smiles. Usagi nodded.  
  
"Yes, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep, knowing that yet another person is lost at the hands of those monsters."   
  
*~*~*   
  
Hinotama peeked through the rusted door that led into the nurses' station clinic. She'd carefully stolen away from her bed without the nurses noticing, whom of which were quite strict when it came to bedrest. The hallway that led into the shelter and over to the offices was empty and quiet. Sensing she was alone, the brunette of flashing blue-green eyes slipped carefully out of her room and down the hall. 'I have to keep using all resources to connect with Myou. If she is alive, I can use my inner powers to contact her within the astral plains.' The pattering of her feet against the cold stone ground echoed softly. Her long black pants and black tank blended her into the shadows of the back hallways--these in actuality were numerous paths leading up to the surface. A sudden rustle to her left down another corridor caused Hinotama to jump back into a wall, slamming her wounded arm painfully against it. "Mmmm..." she tried to muffle her cry, biting her lip firmly as her eyes watered.   
  
"Hinotama?" The brunette stepped into the light of the joining hallway and came face to face with none other than Jerrid.   
  
"Jerrid, I-I...was just getting some air, er actually I just needed to stretch," Hinotama spoke, her voice soft and unconvincing to Jerrid. The midnight haired man of amber eyes watched her curiously.   
  
"Don't lie to me," his voice snapped, betraying the gleeful sparkle in his eyes. It was so abrupt it forced a both surprised and hurt glint into the eyes of the Sun Princess.   
  
"Excuse me?" Hinotama replied, rubbing her throbbing left arm gingerly as she spoke. Her long hair fell into her eyes, half concealing the guilty expression she held of being caught.   
  
"You know what I mean, and I know what you're trying to do, Hinotama-sama," Jerrid answered, mercilessly glaring at her. The girl shifted slightly underneath his glower.  
  
'Why is it I am fearless around anyone but him?'   
  
"Nothing to say for once?" The girl nearly fell at his statement, bewildered at the degree of unbridled and careless insult.   
  
"Listen, Lieutenant," Hinotama quipped seriously. "You are in command of combat dispatch, but under my advisory and orders only. I did not ask to have a lecture, nor did I expect you to undermine my authority." Her eyes were dark and her expression was cold and unlifting. Jerrid was used to this, but this time, Hinotama was not going to get her way.  
  
"I am fully aware of my conduct. Hinotama, I cannot allow you to leave this shelter. You are too weak and injured to enter a battle in this condition. You could die this time!" The girl sighed with disgust, shooting the man a dirty smirk.   
  
"It wouldn't be the first time." Flipping her hair, Hinotama sauntered past him and continued down the hall--that is, until a firm hand latched onto her good arm and held her in place. Almost upon immediate instinct, with her remaining strength and stability, Hinotama used her back and shoulders to flip the man over her shoulder with relative ease. Jerrid landed with an unpleasant thud upon the concrete and Hinotama merely smiled. He looked up from the floor, meanwhile on his back, and gazed at her in a daze.   
  
"What happened?"   
  
"I just taught you never to undermine my authority." With a smile of sheer pleasure, Hinotama continued down the hall, the clicking of her combat boots echoing as she went.   
  
  
  
Revised as of 3/3/2002.   
  
  
  


  


  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Crystal Clear

I do not own Sailor Moon. This story is mine...aww! Whatever, you get the picture! Happy Easter everybody! :)  
  
Falling Stars  
  
  
Usagi shot down the corridors of the shelter, her footsteps echoing like the beating of drum as she raced along, thoughts swirling in her mind. Her tresses were thrown messily into a ponytail that whipped with each pace she ran; the dimmed lights on the ceilings above caught the platinum streaks attractively. "HINO!! You are dead! What were you thinking?! You're going to get yourself killed!" Usagi shouted with a flicker in her eye as she flew up and down, back and forth between winding hallways.   
  
Within another moment, another set of footsteps clattered behind her. "Usagi! Wait!" The blonde stopped for a moment--her hair still swinging and eyes blazing--as she spun around to face the speaker.   
  
"Jerrid." Her voice was serious and cold, most of all furious. "I'm not really quite sure whether I should invite you to join me...or to hit you. How could you let her get out of here like that? She is injured...for Kami's sake she nearly died! The amount of blood she lost, the pain, and the depression she constantly battling--her arm is busted, her leg is bruised badly, and her entire body is on the edge of shutting down! You idiot!" The man cringed slightly at her tone and the merciless, hateful expression gracing her beautiful features.   
  
"Your infidel sister knows better than this. You are 17 years old; your sister is no more mature and reasonable than you," Jerrid muttered. And as soon as his eyes shifted from her own, in a flash of movement, Usagi slammed her fist hard into his cheek. The act did not manage to register in the man's mind until he felt the full sharp effect of the blow. Jerrid staggered back and slumped to the floor, holding his cheek with a shocked and offended shimmer in his amber eyes.   
  
"Don't ever insult either me or my sister again. I may not have been here long, but I have been here long enough to know that age neither decides courage nor strength of the soul and body. It is what is in your heart, and all that resides in Hinotama's is restoring peace and salvaging this world. I don't care how she got out, but I am personally holding you responsible. Oh, and don't bother getting up." Jerrid knew through experience that snapping back at a superior usually prompted more volitile responses. He, therefore, glared at the young woman--half furious at himself for letting a child berate him. Usagi's black clothes against her fair skin and blonde hair was like night against day. Her vengeful glare, however, was so full of anger and malice that Jerrid would never again mistake this girl for the seemingly innocent and naive young woman he once had. She truly was a dedicated fighter and Princess.   
  
"Usagi, gomen nasai." But by the time he picked himself up from the floor, his words were already lost on the stale air as she continued on her long race to find her sister. 'Knocked on the floor twice in one day...and by two girls at that.'   
  
*~*~*   
  
Hinotama staggered through the dark back alley like a lost soul, muttering to herself incoherently. She could barely see, as a terrible and acidic fog clouded her vision; the world itself seemed to mirror the clarity of her mental state. To add to the equation, visibility was weak and probably no more than about 10 feet.   
  
"Why am I here?" she asked herself aloud, freezing in her tracks. Suddenly, her facial expression melted from confusion to resolve, as if her persona had changed entirely in answering her own question. "I am here to find Myou. Oh, I would die just to be able to see my Kei-chan...he was so strong and fierce. But he would die for me and anyone he cared for. We were destined for one another...and my friends...we were meant to grow up and lead happy lives. Now we can't. You're all dead and gone." Her eyes seemed to glaze over with this statement and she trudged on once again, wandering down another alley.   
  
A sudden chill managed to find its way up Hinotama's spine as she went along, and with a detached whimper the young woman wrapped her arms around herself. Her thin garments felt like paper against her icy skin and even still, she realized half-heartedly that the air was muggy and thick. Sweat beads gathered on her forehead, sliding down the sides of her face. She half-expected rain to pour down from the sky then, drawing up memories of a town she had visited during her childhood. Tristan was always overcast and foggy. This, however, was no such pleasant memory. The stench of decay was beginning to overpower Hinotama's usually honed and focused senses and the air was beginning to make her dizzy. It was a strange human trait how one could feel chilled to the bone and feverish simultaneously.   
  
The young woman maintained a shred of rationality despite her hysterics and let out a deep grunt of resolve. Her determination, however, was met with a literal dead-end. Just seeing the flat, stationary, and quest-hindering wall of the cul-de-sac quashed her spirits entirely. Blunt tears poured from her eyes as she slumped down against the cold wall, but all Hinotama felt...was nothingness. Her fingers could not sense by touch the rough texture of the earth, nor could her skin of her cheeks register the falling of tears. Like a statue of a crumbled cause, she was numbed to the core--empty, alone, and forlorn. All she could think about was those she had lost...the desire to continue had fled her entirely. If only...if only Myou...   
  
"You're all gone," the girl repeated, sobs now racking through her body as she hugged herself. The brazen and hardened exterior of a fierce warrior faded to reveal a broken, shadowed, and insecure young woman. "I will never be happy again, and still I cannot be selfish. I have to be strong, and fearless like I used to be. Use my gift to save what is left of this world and protect those left alive. But is all of this pain, anguish, and death really worth all of this trouble? Are these forty-some lives really worth dying for?" She stopped for a moment, shifting her arm to relieve the pressure against her sling.   
  
"I hate you all. My life is saving and protecting you...but where is my happiness? Where is my happy ending and knight in shining armor? Where is my life? Where is the rest--the peace I've earned?" Hinotama screamed to the bloody skies above, her eyes bleeding angry tears. "Why did you have to die on me?!" Sobs began to crack her voice and soon rendered her speechless as she rocked to and fro, holding herself and crying. Her sorrowful screams rang out on the air and continued to ring in her mind in an endless spiral of sadness.   
  
It was, however, a searing in her chest that caused her tears to cease. She could no longer cry, for the pain held her void of anything but its fierce and intent presence. She pressed a hand to her chest, gasping. The pressure faded as quickly as it had come and the young woman hadn't the strength to speak.   
  
'My name is Hinotama, Princess Hinotama of the sun. My name means falling fire star of the sun...does that mean that I was destined to fall from greatness into misery and lose everything I had and loved? Does that mean that I am worth no more than a pitiful life and empty soul? What am I anymore? I am not the Princess the world had longed for...the darkness is here. They know I have fallen from power...and now they will feast on my soul.'   
  
Hinotama herself knew then that her hysterics had gotten the best of her, and were working on their own to manipulate her actions. Sighing, she leaned back against the wall--eyes blank. She gazed out into the distance, staring at nothing in particular.   
  
"Usagi...it is up to you now." The girl closed her eyes and felt as if death had wrapped its bony grip around her neck.   
  
"I didn't know that our Princess was so weak," a soft, but playful voice echoed. This very voice drew the color back into Hinotama's face and slowly, she unwillingly lifted her eyes. Her gaze fell onto a lithe and thin form, dressed simply in a khaki skirt and a black tank top.   
  
"Hikari?" Her voice was void of hope, further more doused with sorrow.   
  
"Hinotama-hime, my dear friend...I am pleased you have not forgotten me." Hikari allowed a brief smile to tug at the corners of her pink lips as she bowed before her dear friend. As she stood erect once more, her wavy blonde-platinum hair settled attractively around her shoulders. Her eyes looked upon Hinotama with love and friendship in their vivid green hues.   
  
"Forget you?" Hinotama couldn't bring herself to smile. "Hikari, you were my guardian and friend...I could never forget such a loyal person as you! I only wish you were here...just so I could have someone to talk to. But--you're dead." Hikari smiled at her friend and walked over to the slouched girl, and lifted her to her feet with a tug. For the first time, Hinotama noticed the golden aura that outlined Hikari's body.   
  
Nodding, Hikari could only smile, "Yes. I am dead. But, we all love you, and we watch over you each day." Hinotama stopped for a moment, her eyes suddenly focused.   
  
"We?" Hikari could only let out that sweet, cute laugh she'd always had.   
  
"I didn't really think that you'd lost your marbles, Hino-chan, but perhaps I was mistaken!" This gained a slight smirk from Hinotama, and Hikari laughed again. "All of us! Your senshi, and Kei too! We're watching over you Princess!"  
  
"From where? Is there really a heaven, a hell? I think I know because I am living in hell on Earth, and I can't get away from it! I feel so alone...so powerless. Kari, I let your sister die. Myou is dead and even still my heart tries to deny it. She was my last connection with the pasts we had...and she is gone too." Hikari suddenly rested a loving hand on her friend's shoulder, quieting Hinotama's sporadic statements.  
  
"Myou was destined to fall to darkness, and fate intended her to become a tool used by the overlords. You remember that one evening she went out on patrol alone? Well, the fool was captured and the demons brought her back at their leader's bidding. Instead of killing her, one of the demons used her body as a transportation device to host a demonic being within her body, which would later inform them of your true hiding locations. That way, flushing you out and destroying you would be all the more easy!" Hikari paused, allowing the information to sink in.   
  
"I knew something like this must have happened...Myou was better than that..." Hinotama sighed and allowed her gaze to fall to the cold ground.  
  
"Myou was meant--  
  
"I thought I was better than this," Hinotama interjected. "All I am is a weak, foolish princess. I pride myself on my fearlessness and my wit. Hikari, I have no will to be like that anymore...it hurts too much to breathe." A sudden sob racked through her body and a stream of tears burst from Hino's eyes. The girl cried deeply, from her mind to her soul--she cried until she could cry no more. And all the while her dear, lost friend Hikari wrapped protective arms around her Princess.  
  
"You're not weak, and you're not alone. You are Princess Hinotama, and you and Tsukino Usagi will save us all. Don't ever forget that. We're here for you, even if you cannot see us. Now, listen to me! You will not give up like this...this is not the Taiyou Hinotama I know." The bright aura around the girl suddenly began to fade, and with frustration in her eyes, Hikari looked heavenward.   
  
"You're leaving," Hinotama whispered plainly, glancing up. Hikari looked back at the girl on her knees, with tearstained cheeks.   
  
"I could only come for a short time. Gomen, Princess..." her voice too began to fade, as did her body. Her semi-stylish clothes suddenly changed to that of a pure white gown that swished around her ankles with a halter-neck. Blonde hair flying wildly, and green eyes bright with hope, Hikari smiled at her Princess. "I came here to give you this, Hino-chan." A medium sized crystal of shimmering orange materialized in her hands. The most appealing attribute of the crystal, though, was the spectrum of colors swirling around inside the sphere.   
  
Hinotama stood up, and took it from Hikari's hands, her tears drying now. Hino's eyes were still red-rimmed, but a small smile managed to play across her lips. The dry wind rustled her hair as it blew through, weaving through the bandages of her sling, and tangling around her black outfit. "My Sunfire Crystal?"  
  
"Not just the legendary Sunfire Crystal alone, Princess...but as you look inside, you see an entire spectrum of colors. Each color represents one of us, the Senshi you lost so long ago. We vowed to always watch over and protect you. Take this Princess, and fight those demons with all of our powers combined. Even if we cannot be there with you, our spirits are held within this crystal. Battle with all your might, Hinotama, fight with your sister to save this world...and we'll be there right beside you. Our powers are there to aid you...good luck Princess. We all love you..." Hikari said finally as her voice and image faded into the night, the ever-loving smile on her face.   
  
"Hikari, thank you. All of you.... thank you," the brunette looked down at the crystal cradled carefully in her palms as she spoke. With a determined and renewed feeling in her soul, and a bright and hopeful light in her heart and mind, Hinotama left the darkness to find her sister. Soon it would end...and Hinotama would make sure of that.   
  
  
Revised as of 6-13-2002.  
  
Please Review! ^_^ 


	10. Chapter 10*

I do not own Sailor Moon. Duh, lol. If anyone is reading my Gundam Fic: My Destiny, I wont be updating it for a while, don't panic lol. Its just that I have severe writer's block with that story right now.   
  
~lol enjoy! r/r please~  
  
  
Falling Stars  
  
  


  
'Two and a half hours...' Jerrid thought guiltily as he slunk back to his office. His cheek was still coarsing with slight pain, and a now visible bruise could be seen adorning his high cheek bone. He touched a finger to it lightly and cringed at the shock of pain it shot through his body. 'That girl can really hit...and her sister is a fighter. I should have been more careful...stronger and smarter. Not only did I let her out, but I insulted Usa about their age affecting their responsibilities...not a smart choice on my part.'   
  
Running a nervous and tired hand through his unruly midnight hair, the 22 year old collapsed onto his bunk within the first office he came upon. 'What is something really does happen to her...what if she gets acquires an injury even our nurses can't handle...or worse...what if she dies?'   
  
Jerrid punched his right fist against the underside of the bunk above him, disturbing the bunk's unsuspecting occupant. "Think you could stop punching me?" Cody murmured.   
  
"What are you doing here?!" Jerrid shouted, his amber eyes blazing as he rolled off the cot and glared at the boy above. "I gave specific orders to follow Usagi in the search for Hinotama!"  
  
Cody sighed and slung his legs over the side of his bunk. His blonde hair was messy and his eyes were dark and tired. "Miss Tsukino gave me clear orders that if I or anyone else followed her, she would do a lot more than what she did to you. This is something that she and her sister need to work out. Obviously none of us are getting through to Princess Hinotama, and Usagi is our last hope. We have to wait..."   
  
"What if they both die, Cody? What if Hinotama is killed and Usagi never masters her gift? What if **_we_** **_all_** die?"   
  
"Then...we will die, that's what. We have to deal with whatever comes our way...and you have so little faith in Hinotama, the "foolish 17-year-old Princess" as you say. How can you believe in her so little, but love her so much?" Jerrid stopped pacing and shot Cody his darkest glare.   
  
"What did you say?" he stammered, his voice of voice slight surprise and fear betrayed his furious expression.   
  
"Oh come on, Lieutenant," Cody laughed softly, emphasizing Jerrid's title. "Any baka could figure it out from the way you look at her."  
  
"I don't-  
  
"Jerrid, for God's sake. Admit it! At least the one you want is still around to be wanted." The boy slammed an enraged fist against the beam structuring of the bunks; it shook hard beneath his hand, being as rickety as it was. The two were surprised it didn't collapse. Cody sighed, his eyes became darker than before; now they grew red rimmed, as if he were on the verge of a breakdown. "I have to act happy, and I have to pretend to be hopeful...because if I don't...the pain will only creep in and consume me. I know that Myou is dead...and I am trying to accept that. The thing is, she never knew how much I loved her." Jerrid was quiet now and hung his head.  
  
"I'm sorry man...I really am. I have been so selfish, but the thing is, Hino hates me. She only sees me as a worthless, disobediant subordinate. And I treat her like a child...Hinotama is only 17...and I am 22 years old. How sad is that? Cody, at least you had Myou. She was a friend to **_all of us_**." Cody rested his head in his hands and let out a small, but hysterical laugh.  
  
"But she was everything to **_me_**."   
  
*~*~*   
  
All that could be heard throughout the silent darkness, was the soft pattering of footsteps as they echoed on the air. A lithe form, quick as a flash, ducked under broken formations, vaulted over rubble mounds, and dodged between destruction zones. Eyes fully alert and blazing in their angelic blue, the form settled onto a tall boulder to overlook the area; they were sitting in a position much like that of a crouching tiger, lying in wait of its prey. Within seconds, the form was off again, blonde hair tied up securely in a wild ponytail that whipped behind her as she ran.   
  
"Just a 17 year old Princess, give me a break!" she snorted angrily. Usagi wasn't the least bit pleased with Jerrid's comment. "What do I look like, some fragile, quiet, innocent doll you keep in a glass case on a high shelf? How could he be so foolish? What is with that man? But Mamoru, he was never that way with me. Mamo always believed in me...he always loved me. And everytime I think about you, Mamoru, I want to cry. All I think about at night is you and the girls. I love you all so much. I only wish that Hino could know the same joys I do...she did once before this all happened. Mamo-chan, I will always love you. And even if the world shatters and ends forever, never forget that. I love you forever." The girl went on her way, keeping her senses open and ready. Naturally, she encountered a few as she raced through the miserable remains of the city, taking them down with relative ease. But Usa knew quite well in her mind that these were among the weakest demons inhabiting the dead planet.   
  
Sighing angrily, Usagi found her way to what would have once been the metrolpolis of the area. The remains of large buildings, markets, and even a few cars could be found littered her and there like scraps. "Kami, give me strength..." Usagi whispered, clutching a pistol close to her chest. It was black and sleek, just like her clothing to conceal herself from wandering demons. The girl dropped her gun to ground, losing all of her emotions and becoming nauseous as she walked into the area. There was nothing but dust and large piles of debris. The buildings had mostly caved in, the walls crumbled to mounds of weakened rock and cement; the luckier of the bunch still maintained shabby windows and doorways which were little or half destroyed. Usagi's pants were dirty and dusted, fading the once lustrous and stylish leather to a dull black, and her matching tank top was splattered with tiny droplets of blood and gun powder mixed in.   
  
"This was the heart of Hinotama's world...where she grew up. Over there...that house. Or what is left of it," Usagi spoke with conviction as she pointed to a large pile about 30 yards to her left. It was relatively small now of course because it was no more than a 20 foot in diameter, rubble-filled mess; but Usagi could feel the power and the spirits of life and happiness radiating around it even from so long ago after being drenched and hidden in death. It was like another, knowledgable being had entered her body and was speaking for her. The blonde had never been here before, but her soul and celestial connection with her sister brought of all these things to life in her mind. "And there, the bank, and there! That was Hikari and Myou's home..." Usagi continued to speak to no one in particular. Usagi could see young children playing on the sidewalks, happy shoppers weaving in and out of the markets, and even teens her own age running around and enjoying life. All this was in her mind, but all she could see were the physical remains. After a few moments, she regained full awareness and shook her head.   
  
"What was that all about? Was that me...no. I don't know anything about this place...but...my **_heart_** does. It knows all of this and all of the happiness my sister felt and lost so suddenly. Hinotama...did you come here to hide from the truth? Did you run from us so could revisit this once Eutopic home land?" Usagi lowered her head and began to walk farther inside, turning to look at different areas and things, recognizing them by means of the emotions they gave her. Her eyes were blank again, they saw but did now see...they understood but did not know. They were just strange emotions swirling in her mind and soul, yet nevertheless, Usagi recognized, realized, and accepted them for what they were: the memories of lost and wandering souls. Even in death, they walked in torment, searching for their savior. Usagi stopped and allowed a gasp to escape her lips.   
  
They were searching for Hinotama.   
  
*~*~*   
  
"This was home once," Hinotama sighed, gently examining the shimmering crystal in her hands. "It was a miracle to have lived such a happy life once...it was a miracle to have been able to have and do the things I did. And it is a miracle to know that my friends once lost are still watching over me. And you...you are proof," she finished regarding the crystal. The sphere glowed a brilliant orange following her comment, almost in response to her speaking. The colors within seemed to glow brighter. Hinotama smiled. She knew it was them, them that were causing the crystal to glow. Their spirits within were keeping her strong and safe. And Hinotama would never lose sight of that again. The girl allowed her hair to drift around her shoulders and back, her wide Prussian eyes taking in everything she saw. It was the once completely animated and lively metropolis of her home. It was dark now, but even in her losses, Hinotama could still see her friends and family...even neighbors in her mind as they enjoyed every second of their lives. Stopping for a moment, she came to settle on the old stairs of town hall, cold and crumbled as they were.   
  
The girl hadn't any time nor any desire to care that she was vulernable. Now it was time for her to accept her destiny and to realize that even in her pain and suffering...there was a way to stop all of the suffering and hurt. Not just for herself, but for everyone around her. She could change things...and a few demons hiding amongst the rubble wouldn't stop her now. Cradling the crystal in her hands, Hino smiled again and began to speak as the soft, and unusually fresh breeze danced with her hair playfully.   
  
"You are the Legendary SunFire Crystal. And in the name of my friends, and in the name of this universe, I will use you to help me stop this dark plague. I allowed myself to lose hope and to lose what I held closest to my heart. Keikan, you were my rock and my shield. I can look into this sphere and see your bright green eyes glowing, and your gorgeous black hair swaying on the afternoon breezes in the park. I can still feel your arms around me like when we used to kiss, and I can smell your sweet, masculine cologne everytime I think of you. And my Senshi: Hikari, Kasumi, Hayashi, and Meirou. I can still see your happy faces and feel your strong and friendly auras around me. Your gifts, your thoughts, your personalities. I loved you all...you were my best friends...and you still are even in death."  
  
A sudden chill ran up Hinotama's spine. She wasn't alone anymore. But before she could turn, a hauntingly icy voice whispered in her ear. "Scream for me."   
  



	11. Reflections of Hate*

  
  


I do not own Sailor Moon. Hinotama & this story are mine, deal with it. Lol, enjoy and please r/r! I LOVE this story to death and I am so please that everyone is finding it so original and new compared to the usual Sailor Moon stories. Enjoy as always! I love reviews...please?   
  
  
  
Falling Stars  
  
  


The brunette slowly turned around, the whispers swirling in her head-haunting her. "Scream for me..." Hinotama finally whipped around, and came face to face...with herself. Her eyes went wide, filled with surprise and then ultimately with anger and rage. "What in the hell are you?"  
  
"I'm you," she laughed. And "she", was right. It was Hinotama staring at...well Hinotama. She was an exact copy, from head to toe, from every freckle to every eyelash. She was well tanned and strong, a long black gown of pure, slinky slink adorned her perfect body.   
  
"You're not me," Hinotama spat as she circled around the girl. Protectively shielding the crystal, Hino placed it on inside of her jacket within a side pocket. "Who sent you, one of those demon lords? Tell them they won't interfere with-  
  
"Do you know just who you're **_dealing_** with? You are fighting against yourself Hinotama. This is your world...your kingdom. Your selfishness and your pride brought this world to its knees, not the demons. The demons are reincarnations of your desires and your soul. You are solely responsible for the destruction of this planet and universe. And soon...the rest of the world will follow this one in its demise." Her voice was so cold, so dark...and yet Hinotama was scared to death. Her words, were they true? Was it really her fault? Did she really send her own world into oblivion?  
  
"It's not true!" Hinotama screamed, her eyes welling up with tears. "I won't cry for you, and I won't let you have that satisfaction." She wiped a hasty arm across her eyes, further smudging her already dark cheeks. "I didn't cause this! I would give up my life to see the sunlight again! **_You_** made this!"   
  
"You're right, I **_did_** make this. Because I...am **_you_**." The girl held out her hand to reveal a black sphere floating a few inches above her palm. "This is your so called Sunfire Crystal. Our senshi worked so hard to protect you, that even in death they won't let you bear the responsibility of destroying our world. So, they color this crystal a fake orange and fill it with rainbows," she taunted in a sadistic voice.   
  
"How dare you! They were **_never_** yours! They would never help such a disgusting monster as you!" Hinotama let out a furious scream and slammed her palm across the girl's face. Within a nano second of contact with her cheek, Hinotama too felt a great pain course through your cheek. It was great it caused a fresh stream of tears to flow down her face. "How? I am not you...you aren't me!" Her copy merely laughed and placed a casual hand onto her hip and smiled satanically.   
  
'Is she right? But how do I know anymore? Hikari told me they cared about me and watched over me...have they blinded me? No! I won't believe this facade! I have to stay strong and resist their tricks!' her mind raced fearfully.   
  
"You must suffer for your evils," the copy spoke, her voice so icy and evil it nearly shattered Hinotama's soul.   
  
"I didn't do this! Get out of my sight! Go back to your lords and tell them I won't give up and I won't let you scare me into submission! Burn in hell!" Hinotama pulled out her sunfire crystal and held it in front of her above her palms. The girl followed suit with her own black sphere.   
  
"Do you think fighting yourself will be anymore productive than what is happening now? And even after letting yourself single handedly ruin this once beautiful world with your selfishness, you drag your celestial sister into the mess! Usagi will die because of your mistakes!"  
  
"STOP IT!" Hinotama screamed, tears flowing harder. "Sunfire Crystal! Please, aid me in my quest! Show me the path to defeat these monsters!" On command, a bright light began to emit from the crystal, and the colors within swirled wildly.   
  
"I am Hinotama, selfish ruler of the universe. Black Sphere, show me the path to Hinotama's soul!" the girl laughed maniacally as her crystal too, began to glow.   
  
"I will not let you hurt them anymore you witch. You will pay for messing with me. I am Hinotama, Daughter of Darkness. And if defeating you means taking that name, then I will become darkness itself to stop you!" Both crystal began to whirl and glow brighter with each second.   
  
"Goodbye foolish girl...too bad Jerrid will never get to tell you how he feels!" The copy, seeing that this statement distracted Hinotama's concentration, commanded the crystal to explode with a burst of energy that shot a beam of darkness straight at the girl. Hinotama let out a scream as its pulsing mass shot forth at the speed of light...until a flash of gold dove before her and blocked the energy. Seconds after the act, Hinotama's eyes settled onto the mangled form before her, lying on the ground in a pool of blood.   
  
"USA!" Hinotama screamed. The copy only laughed harder and began to fade into the darkness.  
  
"Goodbye Hino, we will meet again," her words echoed as she disappeared. Hinotama screamed harder, and threw herself onto the ground where Usagi lay, her clothes soaking up her sister's fresh blood.   
  
"Usagi! Usagi! Please, you can't die on me! Listen to me! USAGI!" But her cries were meaningless as she realized the world was silent. Usagi stared up at the sky, eyes of the once vivid blue were blank...and lifeless.   
  
  
  
  


Please r/r! Don't get turned off by the end of this chapter! **_Trust_** me! Stay tuned for chapter 12!!!   



	12. Into Loving Arms*

  


I do not own Sailor Moon. Standard Disclaimers...I am so sick of writing these lol! Lata! Please r/r!!!   


  
  


Falling Stars  


  
  
Wake up...wake up Usa. Please wake up...  
  
It was like a constant humming in Usagi's ears...her whole world was bathed in darkness. And there was nothing but that voice speaking to her, more like pleading already. It was just so quiet and peaceful and Usagi wanted to stay there forever. No more fighting, no more worries, nothing. All she had to do was sit in the quiet and rest. Rest forever...and ever. Forever. Was forever really that long? Didn't she think once that she and Mamoru would be together forever? That ended before the rise of the Black Moon Family, but luckily they were reunited. Or was it just luck that brought them back together rather than love and fate? What is this place? Who was she? Who is Tsukino Usagi?  
  
Usagi...please. If you die then our fight will be for nothing. Usagi! We need you!  
  
There it goes again, that voice. That insane, calling, pleading voice. They sound so sad...like they really need me. I wonder how Hinotama is. I wonder how all of my senshi are. What is our fight? To save people, to win or to lose? Who cares anymore...I have my peace now. I don't have to worry about anyone but myself.  
  
You said you were selfish once...said you hated yourself for wanting out of your duties. Then you saw my life. Do you wish you never came here Usagi? Do you wish you were just a simple girl again with a simple life?  
  
Shut up...I don't want to hear it. I am on my own again. Finally I am free from my job as Princess...I am finally free from my duties to save and protect, save and protect, save and protect. I can stop playing around and pretending like I'm happy. I can say to hell with the world and live a normal life. Wait a minute...how can I live a normal life...when I'm dead?   
  
Usa-don't die!  
  
*~*~*  
  
Hinotama buried her face in the rought cotton sheets of her sister's hopsital cot. Her salty tears had soaked through the linen material, and the sorrowful drops now began to fall onto the motionless hand of Usagi. "Usa-don't die!" Hinotama cried harder, her eyes so tired and red-rimmed she looked on the verge of self destruction. "Please Usagi. Please don't die...I cannot lose you too!" Hinotama touched a hand to her sister's blood tinted cheek and shuddered with sadness. The blonde's hair was wild and everywhere, and the memory of her eyes staring blankly up at the sky haunted Hinotama. The brunette looked at her with sorrow, feeling guilt and anger well within her. Her copy had been right. This was all her fault.  
  
A painful series of sobs racked through her body, until a strong, but warm and gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder. Just to feel the caring touch of another human being was soothing enough. "Hino," Jerrid whispered as he kneeled at her side. "You have to let her rest...there is nothing you can do-  
  
"Stop it!" Hinotama screamed as she furiously slapped away his hands. His eyes lowered now and were full of guilt and sorrow at her rejection. "I can't leave her! My sister is going to die because of me!"   
  
"That's not true," he insisted, trying hard to keep his voice soft and soothing. He raised his eyes to hers, willing her to understand and feel all that he did.   
  
"I don't care! I have to stay here and watch her! I will not let her die!" Hinotama continued to scream, now completely hysterical. "She told me that I was the one who was responsible for the plague that has befallen this world...she said I would be responsible for Usagi's death. And she was right." Jerrid threw his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in tightly.   
  
"Who told you this Hino! It's not true!" His hands had a firm grip on her shoulders and shook her hard. "You aren't like that!"   
  
"I was alone...thinking and renewing my strengths and willpower. And a girl...me...a girl who was just like me in every way...a copy perhaps...she told me that I was the one who caused this world to be so dark. She said that I would pay the price for my selfishness and lose everything. And she told me that I would be the one to watch Usagi die." Hinotama pulled back and stared Jerrid in the eyes, her own filled with pure guilt and inner torment. "She **_was_** right. She was **_right_**..." Jerrid watched as she broke down to her lowest level of darkness and sorrow...her eyes spilled out an endless stream of tears as she collapsed beside Usagi's bed.   
  
"Hinotama...it is **_not_** your fault. Usagi is strong and she'll pull through this!" But Jerrid's words were lost, or else the girl was just blocking out everything but the ragged breathing of her sister. Hinotama's hair was a mess, her face and body wrought with pain, anguish, and stress. Her mind was racked with emptiness, fear, doubt, hatred, rage, and guilt all aimed at herself. She had nothing to live for anymore. Her fearless, bright, and loving soul had been traded for that of one of pure emptiness.   
  
Within a few moments, Jerrid watched as her body slowly began to calm; her sobs subsiding slowly. His amber eyes were wild and fearful, and he watched her from behind, her head rested on her arm against the cot as she cried endlessly. But her tears were silent now, and her body was quiet and peaceful. "Hinotama..." he whispered. Jerrid's voice was so ragged and hoarse he scared himself. "Hino-chan." She did not reply and Jerrid remained on his knees. He slid on the floor over to her side and Usagi's bed. The blonde girl's face was slightly stained with blood, her body covered with bandages, clothes, and she was full of IVs. Yet her face was inexpressive, except for the immense peace it portrayed...like a peaceful death. Only the continuous beeps of the heart monitor could assure him she had not died.  
  
Jerrid finally came to rest on the floor beside Hinotama and gently pulled her away the cot and rested her head onto his lap. He smiled weakly at her. She was beautiful even in her misery. A thought came to mind, and the man carefully rested her head against his shoulder and lifted her into his arms. Her legs slung over his left arm, her body cradled in his strong embrace, and her head rested softly against his shoulder, Jerrid carried the girl away from the source of her misery and to the office. Upon his entrance, Cody was sitting up in bed. His eyes were visibly red, probably because he had been crying since the girls had been found.   
  
Cody's expression was soft and hopeful. He sent his friend Jerrid a glance, that seemingly meant to ask how she was. Jerrid answered with his own expression that was bleak and sad. Cody knew things were bad...and very bad indeed. He placed Hinotama carefully on his own bottom bunk, resting her head gently on the feather pillow and fluffed it lightly. Pulling his softest and warmest blanket over her body, he kissed her forehead lightly. Allowing a shameful tear to slide down his cheek, he whispered, "I love you."  
  
*~*~*  
  
It was quiet then in the office and the room was dimly lit with a soft candle on the desk. The room was surprisingly warm and comfortable, and the cozy sheets of the bed were welcomed luxuries to the sorrowful Princess. Hinotama's Prussian eyes slid open slowly and her soul was quiet for a moment. Purposely blocking out the memories of just past events and mishaps concerning her sister, the 17 year-old monarch leaned up only to knock her head against the bunk above.   
  
"Where am I?" her gentle whisper came. Hinotama flipped over to face the rest of the room, and didn't expect what she saw next. Jerrid was curled up uncomfortably on the hard stone floor, save for a small woolen blanket slung over his legs. His head rested against the crook of his elbow.   
  
'I only remember being in the nurses station before, and then I must have fallen asleep. Did Jerrid bring me here?' Hino decided to save the technicalities for later. Right now, she must get to Usagi and make sure she was alright. 'Oh my god! My crystal!' But to her relief, it was bundled inside her coat on the office desk, swirling with colors as brightly as ever.   
  
"You have to help me now," she whispered to it. "I am an emotional roller coaster right now...and I have to right the wrongs I have caused." Taking the coat into her hands, Hinotama cradled the crystal in the other and silently padded out of the room. That is, until she tripped over the leg of the desk in a loud clatter.   
  
"Hino?" Jerrid's sleepy voice sounded from the floor as he sat up in a hurry. His vision took a moment to clear as he saw her form dart out of the room. "Hinotama! Get back here!"   
  
'I can't let him catch me this time...I just have to find a way to help Usagi. That's all that matters!' Her hair flew wildly behind her as she ran, and every few seconds she looked over her shoulder to be sure he wasn't catching up.   
  
"Hinotama!" Jerrid shouted down the hall, quickly gaining on her as they ran. His hair unruly and eyes full of uncertainty, Jerrid raced after her in his stained black pants and dark tee shirt. He could tell her physical condition was weak and strained, as she slowed on her own energy and nearly collapsed onto the floor by the nurses' station. He shot out a strong hand, and caught her by the arm before she slumped over. Her coat and crystal rolled onto the floor with a soft thud, and the man held her form against himself. "What are you trying to do? Get yourself killed?" He ran a nervous hand through her hair and held her close as they sunk to the floor. Hinotama buried her face into his chest and allowed herself to cry.   
  
"I can't let her die," came her whisper. His arms wrapped around her side, and carefully her helped her stand on her feet. He lifted the two dropped items from the floor and held them as she slowly made her way into the room where Usagi was being held. Three nurses were working over her, prodding her body with IVs and injective fluids.   
  
"Hino!" Usagi's desperate cry came.   
  
"Usa?" Hinotama exclaimed, her eyes wide as she ripped from Jerrid's arms. She ran to the bed and knocked the audacious hands of the nurses away from her sister. Eyes blazing, she turned on them, "Stay the hell away from my sister." Her hair was fanned out behind her majestically, and her Prussian eyes burned in their many haunting hues. They bore holes through the souls of the onlookers as they flinched in fright. Both the nurses and Jerrid himself were shocked at her expression and statement combined with her offending stance.   
  
"Hinotama-  
  
"Jerrid! Leave us alone!" A deep tension fell over the room, and slowly, the other occupants left the room and the sisters to themselves. But as the man left, she could see deep hurt shining in his eyes. The Princess winced at her actions, but knew she did it for the best. Hinotama closed the door behind them and locked them out, still furious. Usagi was sitting up slightly, straining herself to even wiggle her fingers. "Usagi, stop it! You have to rest, it's a miracle you're alive!"  
  
The blonde's eyes were wide and bewildered, but she complied and quieted down. Her hair spilled over the sides of the bed and Hinotama could see herself in her sister. Both had been and were in the same position, and Usagi had repayed Hino for once saving **_her_** life. Usagi forced a weak smile; yet no matter how forced, Hinotama could feel her genuine happiness radiating from her blue eyes. "Hinotama, I couldn't let you-  
  
Hinotama hushed her and took her hand in hers. "Usagi please." The blonde girl shot her sister an annoyed look. It was followed by a sarcastic smirk and a fearless spark in her eyes. "Usa...why did you save me?"  
  
Usagi's went wide and she spoke with fierce strength, "Because you're my sister baka!"   
  
  
  
  
  


Hey everyone, that was the end for chapter 12! more to come soon! I'm really lovin this story, how about you? By the way, my alias has changed to ~*Meirou*~ from *~Lady Starlight~*. I love the name Meirou, it means bright/cheerful. I thought it was really pretty and it describes my personality for the most part. Please R & R! or no more story...lol j/k. But if you're a gracious reader, you'll write a nice little review! thanks!   


  
  
  



	13. Research & Determination*

I do not own Sailor Moon. duh...now enjoy and PLEASE review!!!! I know I haven't updated in forever, but thank god school is out so I can!  
  
  
Falling Stars  
  
It was a miracle in itself that Usagi had been able to survive as long as she was. Her loss of blood and the amount of total damage she took was immense, and at first her chances of living to see another day were slim to none. But Hinotama and the others, no matter how grief stricken, managed to pray and keep their hopes alive for her safety. And with good fortune, thank God, Miss Usagi Tsukino lived to see another day.   
  
Following the day of her awakening and the brief meeting she and her sister shared, Usagi drifted in and out of consciousness randomly. All the time, her sister was curled up on the floor beside her bed, a blanket placed gently over her shoulders. Jerrid too, needing to make sure both women were holding up all right, kept a silent vigil outside the door, leaning against the wall. In his mind, nothing but doubt and angst swirled throughout his psyche. For the sisters, however, their thoughts and dreams were dominated with conquest of the darkness, and the resurrection of peace.   
  
*~*~*  
  
Hinotama awoke a few hours later, still to her relief, to find her sister resting quietly. Her eyes were open, but her thoughts had drifted into a comfortable daydream. 'Probably thinking about Mamoru-san,' Hino concluded and decided she could use a bit more rest. Closing her eyes, a short period of time passed before true sleep overwhelmed her mind and body, pulling her into a restful world of peaceful slumber. Usagi watched this with slight interest, and was glad her sister was hanging on.   
  
'She works so hard...and exerts so much pressure onto herself. She scares away people with her fearless wit on purpose...even if it is in her personality, its become a sort of defense mechanism in itself,' Usa wondered, her mind sifting through different memories. 'Hinotama doesn't want anyone to get too close to her, except those she is already tight with. My sister is afraid of losing anyone else, therefore she forces them away. Like Jerrid. They are both so stubborn, why can't they just admit their feelings for one another? There is the age difference, but how is that any different from Mamo & I?'   
  
The blonde let out a little sigh and closed her eyes. The world went black again.  
  
*~*~*   
  
Three o'clock in the morning, the young brunette sat up and rubbed her tired eyes with a yawn. Usagi was out cold again...but the monitors didnt seem to show anything out of the ordinary. Hinotama finally realized just how many machines her sister was hooked up to. Three to monitor her heart and brain waves, two more to keep a close tab on her vitals, and a few more pumping oxygen and blood into her system. Another was cycling her kidneys and liver, since she was practically immobile for the time being. Hinotama had helped to tie back her thick blonde hair, so she wouldn't get overheated. But that was the most she could do...except wait and pray. The Prussian-eyed Princess stood up for a moment and gazed down at Usagi. "Please be okay," she said softly. A sudden creak from the door behind her startled Hinotama slightly, but she didn't show it. The shadow of a man fell onto the concrete floor and obscured the dim light from the hallways from her view.   
  
"Hinotama, can I have a word with you?" The epitome of the man's statement said nothing for a moment, and gave her sister one last look. Finally she turned on her heel slowly and followed the midnight-haired man into the hallway.   
  
"What is it?" Hinotama said, her voice forcing irritation even though she didn't feel it. She couldn't deal with this right now...not Jerrid. His warm amber eyes looked upon her with favor and hope, expressions that betrayed the cold look on his face.   
  
"We have report of a large mass of demonic forces assembling not far from this shelter. We need your permission to launch an attack and draw them away before the innocents are killed." Hinotama's heart stopped and her body froze.   
  
'Myou...Hikari said she had been possessed and used as a tool to locate us. I forgot in all of this commotion. Now I really have screwed up royally!'   
  
"Princess?" Jerrid repeated, standing up straight, his posture rigid and formal. The girl shook off her notions and straightened her stance. She threw her hair up into a messy bun with hair spraying out the sides as the two walked down the halls. After a few moments, the silent duo entered another room, one far from the nurses' station within the corridors. Jerrid pushed the door open for Hinotama, an action she didn't quite appreciate.  
  
"What do I look like, a renowned Queen?" she spat, mentally cursing her statement. Jerrid's eyes shot to the floor as he wordlessly held open the door and allowed her to walk through. The man picked up his gaze as soon as he entered the control room, which was filled with a few computers and two large television screens that covered the far wall in front of the computers. The TV's monitored two distinct areas, one: the surface around the shelter entrances, and two: the metropolis. Hinotama walked over silently to one of the men at the computers, a young man a year or two older than her.   
  
"Tell me, what type are they?" she spoke formally to the young man, who looked up at her with wavering brown eyes and shaggy, dirty-blonde hair that fell into his eyes. He typed into the keyboard and the screen to the left drew up a profile, containing 3d, detailed images of the demonic masses. "Derek, come on. We're pressed for time here," Hinotama pushed. The boy nodded and drew up another text file that now was placed next to the first picture.   
  
"This," Derek began as he keyed a few more things, "is the Viperion. It has a lot of things in common with snakes; its bodily structure is serpent like, without legs. Although it does have long, strong, and well built arms...which are well equipped with razor like blades." He zoomed on the image of the serpentine creature. It was in fact much like a snake with teal scales and large, quite round yellow eyes. The arms were teal, except for the undersides, like its belly, which were a light cream color. "Its strength is mainly in its tail which is used for lashing, grasping, and lifting things. Good to avoid during combat. Its other strong point lies in its arms, especially the bladed hands it wields."  
  
"Where were they first seen?" Hino demanded, her eyes blazing at the image upon the screen. Derek punched a few more keys; a slight sheen of perspiration beginning to form on his forehead as he worked.   
  
"The Viperion were first sited a few hours ago, and once when this whole mess started. But, we haven't seen them since then until now."  
  
"But where?" Jerrid pursued from his place leaning against the wall with his arms folded.   
  
"The first few were sited by a scout team heading north of the metropolis and taking a sharp detour here by the southwest gate. A half hour ago they were getting curious about the fencing and decided to test it. Luckily it withstood the pressure of the things."  
  
"Why wasn't I notified sooner?!" Hinotama shouted, slamming a fist onto the computer table. The instruments shook wildly under her fist.   
  
"Princess-   
Hino held up her hand and closed her eyes, "Just get on with it. The next one please." Derek looked at her with fear and uncertainty in his eyes for a moment. Jerrid caught his gaze and sent the nervous boy a reassuring glance. With a deep breath he went on.   
  
"These are-  
  
"Morpha!" Hinotama gasped, her eyes wide as she recognized the form brought up onto the screen. Derek spun around in his chair to see her eyes wavering slightly, her expression unreadable. Jerrid noticed her apprehension and placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her.   
  
His voice was gentle, "What is it?"  
  
"Stop it, Jerrid. I have to concentrate!" she hissed spinning around and slapping his arm away. This time, the man wasn't going to take the abuse any longer.  
  
"Damnit, Hinotama! Why the hell do you have to be so cold?" he shouted, and it clearly drew the desired reaction he wanted from her. Her eyes were wide again, hair fanning out now as the elastic snapped. He stared at her, burning holes through her. And he could see plainly it was getting to Hinotama. She looked away quickly, and turned her back to him, wrapping her arms across her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment. But that moment changed everything. She spun around once again, but the surprise in her eyes melted away and was replaced with fury.   
  
"My sister is close to death, the demons are closing in on us. The dark lords are gaining the upper hand. I am trying to run this facility and save our lives! I can't worry about your needs, Jerrid!" her voice snapped. Jerrid shot her a furious expression and slammed the door behind him as he stormed out. Hinotama sighed after the rattling of the hinges quieted.   
  
'Jerrid…I'm so sorry. I just can't let anyone get too close…I afraid I'll lose everyone again. I can't risk that…' Hinotama thought pensively, now feeling the overall effects of her self-induced coldness. Placing a tired hand to her forehead she sat down beside Derek. "Continue."   
  
"The Morpha can take on many forms like their name implies. But its base form is catlike with reptile DNA splashed in," he went on focusing the image and text file. "Their blue eyes have perfect vision and can see in the pitch black, which includes even underground without light. They walk on all fours, which are clawed and powerful, but can stand erect when needed. They are shaped mostly like a cat, including a tale, except for the fact that their bodies are covered in black scales. This makes them blend in quite effortlessly with the night and shadows. They resemble a cougar in build and facial features. Their strongest points are in their shape shifting abilities. They can take on the form of anything they have killed that is other than humanity. Their other abilities are catlike obviously, claws, teeth...that sort of thing." Hinotama rubbed her temples angrily.   
  
"Dispatch a team immediately to the southwest gate and set up a post along the neighboring exits. I want every area covered immediately before their groups spread," Hino commanded.   
  
"But Hinotama," the occupant of the room persisted from the corner. He was an older man of graying beard and hair with soft blue eyes and a husky, but general-like air. "We don't know where all of the pods are situated now."  
  
"The longer we wait, the more time they have to invade. We cannot allow for an invasion. Everything will be lost!" Hinotama replied, her eyes conveying her genuine concern.   
  
"Hino-san! You must wait…now is not the time for impulsive acts that could endanger the lives of everyone here. Princess, please. You have been through too much to let everything blow to hell now," the older man cut in, hoping to instill valuable wisdom into the lost and vengeful young woman.   
  
With a defeated sigh, Hinotama agreed with a nod. "Derek, the final type." The boy at the computers complied and drew up the final file.  
  
"We've nicknamed these demons the Gemini. It is a griffin like creature with wings and four legs, and a head much like that of a reptile's. The reason why we named it so is because the creature has multiplying capabilities, in which it can split into two and then so on and so on. This not only increases their numbers, but strength and power. If these things get into our hideout, we're dead for sure. We're going to have to evacuate or stick it out," Derek finished. Hinotama was furious.   
  
"Where are the Morpha and Gemini now?" she said, but it came out so different from she had intended. She wanted her voice to be commanding and angry...except her voice showed her true emotions of fear, concern, and guilt.   
  
"The Gemini have not arrived yet, but a few have been seen wandering through the metropolis and areas outside of it. The Morpha along with the Viperion have neared the base. We still have a little bit of time before they start whatever it is they're planning." Hino stood up for a moment and closed her eyes, trying to focus her priorities and remain calm. But instead…all she could feel was her soul calling out to her. Hinotama knew what she had to do…and now the world was at a crossroads. There was no other choice-Hinotama had accepted her destiny…and would give all of those lost and wondering souls the Messiah they sought.  
  
She lifted her beautiful Sunfire Crystal and gazed into the swirling colors within. 'My Senshi…the strength of all my dear Senshi. Together we will defeat the darkness.' The men in the room with her looked on in confusion.  
  
"Hinotama?" Eyes practically glowing in their Prussian glitter, Hinotama busily went about gathering firearms and weaponry in her dark shorts and tank top. Her hair was thrown up messily...and in every sense of the word did she look dangerous. The fiery Princess loaded two magnums and placed them in their holsters, which hung at her hips. Sliding a delicate, but lethal blade into her boot, she gathered two stakes and hid them within her jacket along with the crystal. With one final statement, Princess Hinotama of the Parallel Universe slung the coat over her shoulder and slammed the door behind her.   
  
"I'm going to put an end to this hell on Earth. If the dark lords want me…so be it."  
  
  
  



	14. Chapter 14*

It's been a while, ne? ENJOY!! R & R please! And as always, I do not own Sailor Moon.   
  
  
Falling Stars  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Jerrid was briskly making his way throughout the shelter, careful to make sure that the other occupants were prepared for anything. Arms tensed at his sides, and amber eyes to the floor, he allowed his mind to wander despite the current situation. He could still feel the force of the door ringing throughout his arm as he slammed it shut on Hinotama and her ridiculous mood swing. His thoughts, still reeling, replayed over and over the furious scene that had occurred moments before as he continued his tirade throughout the halls. What had been happening to him? To her? His beloved...she was so consumed with hate that she was losing sight of the mission before them. But how could he blame her? The demonic forces had stolen away everything and anything she'd ever loved. How funny that he still remained alive in spite of that...  
  
Did he really mean that little to her? Of course he did. He was just another lackey to her, an underling that leapt at her every whim. Princess and celestial guardian or not, he loved her. Jerrid wasn't sure how to prove it her anymore, after all, she was so far gone. Usagi's condition had torn her off of a stable track entirely and callously tossed her to the side. And it was now, at the worst possible point, that Hinotama was beginning to endure the effects.  
  
Usagi. He realized then how much they were alike--how fiery and devoted to those they loved. Mind spinning, Jerrid's amber eyes took in little of what lay before him. Without even seeing his body seemed to direct itself throughout the weaving passages and corridors, knowing them like he knew himself. Though these days, that had become surprisingly little...  
  
His determined pace, however, immediately halted as he came to the clinic and could see her quiet body lying upon the cot. Jerrid shook his head and let it hang, shameful to think he could even look upon such a beautiful creature without feeling guilty. 'Usagi-san. Hino's dear sister is suffering for our world's endeavors. Our world does not deserve redemption. We've failed.' Regarding the unconscious young woman with a silent bow from the hallway, Jerrid then quickly took his leave. He loved Usagi like a sister, but Hinotama was his soul. But for now, he'd have to settle for the nothingness she'd once again bestowed upon him.   
  
Now, he would have to prepare both mentally and physically before engaging in this war. For this would be his last.  
  
*~*~*  
  
As she raced breathlessly towards the surface door of the refuge, Hinotama's legs pounded against the cold, earthen floor. Her heart beat furiously in her ears, echoing throughout her body and blurring her thoughts. "I promise I'll end this," she concluded under her breath, locks flying behind her. Still the incessant beating of up her footsteps upon the ground echoed, numbing her. There could only be one outcome now.   
  
She would allow her heart to guide her to source of darkness, and there she would inflict its demise. At this point, there was little--in fact--no room for error. It was either her death...or theirs. Her thoughts soon wandered to Usagi...Jerrid. Was she pushing them away again? Is that why she lost everyone, because she didn't want anyone else to experience the same pain that she had? And in the end, she was always left alone. Kei would have scolded her then, and Hinotama realized this with an almost pleasant smile on her face. He'd always said she was so stubborn, sometimes too much even for her own good.   
  
"Hino-san! Get back here!" Cody's voice suddenly called out to her. Her solitary steps were now joined by his, thumping in unison. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder, taking in his bright eyes and clean cut blonde hair.   
  
"Cody, I have to do this. I don't have a choice!" Hinotama shouted back, forcing her pace to increase. Somehow he'd caught wind of her imminent escape and decided that if Jerrid wouldn't, he'd prevent her from going alone. In her mind, however, she would have to keep anyone from following her. She _would_ do this alone.   
  
"You can't do this without Usagi!" he finalized and out of no where, his firm hands latched around her waist and he ripped her to the ground with him. "I'm not going to let you embark on this suicide mission! Have you lost your mind?" Hinotama looked up at him in a daze, head spinning as she registered how quickly his assault had occurred.   
  
"Cody, I'm not asking," she growled through clenched teeth, trying to force him away. The young man, however, held a strong advantage over her, keeping her steadily pinned to the floor.   
  
"And I'm not waiting for orders. Hinotama, you've gone crazy. You drag your sister into this and then you decide to take on an entire army of hell on your own? Wasn't her purpose here for the two of you to complete this as a team? You're turning her desire and obligation to help into a pitiful attempt at suicide! Hino-san! Don't take away from _her_ what you've been trying to get back for _us_...life."  
  
The brunette's jaw dropped, frozen as she continued to support Cody's weight. Usagi....  
  
"I would never hurt her, I would never hurt anyone I love."   
  
"But you have. Jerrid has felt your anger one time too many. You're forcing us away because you're focused on this kamikaze hell mission. I lost the woman I loved...and she's never coming back. Don't make the same mistake, Hinotama! Trust us and let us help you! Let us help!" Cody shouted.   
  
"She can't fight! Usagi will die if she engages in battle! It's my fault she's the way she is..." she shouted, her blue-green eyes wild beneath the dim lamplight.   
  
"Hinotama, Jerrid loves you. He's been by your side since the day Kei and the others died. And he has never once tried to silence your fits of anger, to dismiss your pain, or to force away your needs. He loves you with everything inside of him. And each day...you further pride yourself on stealing away his very dignity! You've made him a shell of a man and nothing he does is ever good enough for you!"   
  
"Ugh!" Hinotama raged at this, and with an unbelievably forceful push, knocked Cody off of her and into the nearby wall. He winced harshly and slid down to the floor, half-glaring at her as he tried to clear his dizzy head. Kicking her legs up into the air, Hinotama flipped back up onto her feet and took off in a dead run. "Usagi can't fight, and I won't let her suffer my fate. Neither Jerrid nor anyone else can stop this!"   
  
*~*~*   
  
Her eyes fluttered open like butterflies' wings, and the sharp light infiltrated her senses all too suddenly. The clatter of alarmed and fleeing people entered her ears, clouding her thoughts. The evacuation was nearly on it's way as Usagi regained consciousness and struggling to sit up, she realized once again where she was. The room itself was dark and dank, but the hallways outside were alive with a sort of perilous flight, terrified and energized by fear. Something had happened.  
  
But Hinotama was no where to be found.  
  
Her sister would have been the first to notify her in case of such an event, and without any doubt would have proceeded in sending her to a safe haven. Hinotama, however, could not be seen racing throughout the halls, busily called out commands and warnings. She was gone and this Usagi knew.   
  
"Hinotama..." she murmured groggily. "Where are you?" Literal waves of blonde hair draped over her shoulders and arms, slipping over the edge of the cot. "I have to find her...she's gone out alone. Oh, Hino, you're such a fool." The constant bleeping of the surrounding monitors suddenly ceased as Usagi proceeded, wincing, in removing them from her body. She would no longer need these. Within moments, she invested all of her strength in removing herself from that forsaken bed, unsteady and dizzy as she clambered to her feet. Her cerulean eyes had by now adjusted, and quickly caught onto Jerrid's retreating form.   
  
"Usagi-san?" his voice, full of concern came as soon as his gaze fell onto her. His strong form rushed into the room and quickly placed his arms around her as a means of support. "What are you doing up? It's not safe!"  
  
"Nothing is safe as long as my sister has gone crazy...she can't take them on alone you know," Usagi snapped, somehow knowing what Jerrid did not. She glanced up at him and this quickly registered as she recognized that same petrified glint enter his eyes as it had when Hinotama knocked at death's door those weeks ago. "Hino-chan is gone. She went to stop them by herself."   
  
"Usagi, you were dreaming! Hinotama-san has done no such thing," he replied slowly, searching his beloved's sister's eyes for assurance. Instead, he received a negative answer.   
  
"No, I know her. I can feel it. Stop wasting time and help me find her!" Usagi shouted, pushing away Jerrid's arms. "If you won't listen, I'll do this on my own!" Jerrid stood motionless for a moment, his amber eyes filled with pain, concern, and terror all at once.   
  
"How do you know?" he stammered, his midnight hair falling into his eyes. Hastily, he brushed it away and awaited Usa's answer. But for the moment, she stood silently, her head tilted to one side as if she were trying to listen, catch the smallest decibel of sound that had managed to elude her knowledge. Her long blonde hair rippled down her back, dancing around her waist as she remained in such a stance. Suddenly, she stood fully erect, eyes ablaze.   
  
"My gift..."   
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We're connected. I know where she's going. I can't wait for the rest of you to prepare--I have to go now!" Usagi exclaimed, her eyes wide, staring out into space. Jerrid's arms shot out to prevent her escape, but nevertheless her agility prevailed. Leaping over the now fallen male, Usagi tore down the hallway, clumsily if anything, and desperately sought out the arsenal chambers.   
  
"Usagi-san!" she could hear Jerrid shouting after her as she scrambled to his feet. Even in her state, she manged to reach the area and even in her blood-soiled street clothing, she fully armed herself. "Silver Crystal, light of hope where none exists. Help me find her...take me to her." A fully loaded hand gun hidden in her back pocket, a large blade slid into her boot, and several other weapons slung into her beltloops, the blonde threw her hair back into a messy ponytail. She paused for a moment as a wave of nausea passed over her, rendering her still until Jerrid entered the room, his eyes wild.   
  
"I can't let you run out there and get yourself killed! I don't know what's wrong with her, but if anything happened to you...who know's how she'd take it. You're not leaving this base," Jerrid commanded, his voice gruff and authoritative. '  
  
"If she dies, this world goes with her--all of you will! And I refuse to allow my world to suffer the same fate--sisters or not. I may hate my duties, the stress its imposed upon me, and all of the happiness I've left behind by accepting it. They say ignorance is bliss--they were right. But for every moment that I deny who I am and what I was meant to be...another person will die. In light of everything, I won't let anyone else suffer the pain I have. And Hino-chan has tried just the same to prevent you from feeling that same pain. Don't turn her efforts into a false attempt," the blonde justified, steadying herself against the doorframe. She couldn't lose her resolve now...even if she was still ill.   
  
"You nearly died...you took a blast that _should_ have killed you. Don't tempt Fate," he exclaimed, latching his hands onto her shoulders, his expression fierce.   
  
"I've always been Fate's puppet..." Usagi answered quietly, staring him in the eyes. The effect her gaze had upon him was immense, and he was stricken with both fear and pain all at once. The weight of the world--the souls of those loved and lost--all in those eyes.. Seeing his faltering concentration, Usagi slammed her foot into the side of his knee with a shrill cry and waited only until he slumped to the floor before she raced out of the room and made her escape. "Always..."   
  
  
  
  



	15. The Rage*

I do not own Sailor Moon.  
  
  
Falling Stars  
  


Chapter 15  
  
Hinotama left puffs of breath upon the frigid air as she emerged from the shelter, her chest heaving despite the short distance she'd run. Behind her, the heavy, iron door slammed shut and rang out on the solid air. She froze in her steps for a moment, surveying the silent land as an eerie, but dirty wind danced through, echoing in her thoughts. Her honey locks trailed down her back, errant hairs lifting with the sweeping breeze.   
  
Her gaze fell onto the land before her and her face remained expressionless. The sky was a fiercly muddy brown, splashes of dried, blood-red here and there. Thick, ashen clouds drifted sluggishly above in their ever so foreboding appeal. The expanse of barren, dead ground seemed to stretch for miles until it hit a tall, now-rickety steel gate, which encircled the entire safe house area--both above and below ground. Several tufts of long, but deceased weeds stood out amongst the disparity, and twiddled in the midst of such a scene. With a stronger gust of wind, the individual links of the far gate shuddered, and under its howl, it nearly folded in two. Already the intense gurgling of a Viperion had reached her ears, and in a sudden burst of speed, she raced towards the gate. Stealthy, strong, and fearless she entered the eternal darkness.   
  
It would be her first kill of the night.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Usagi stumbled quite a few times as she made her way through the dim hallways, the passers-by barely giving her a second glance as she fought to find the exit. The blonde had been down there so long, each passageway seemed identical to the next. A small smile danced on her lips as she felt the cold steel blade press against her skin--the cooling effect was a relief against the fever she'd maintained. "I'm never going to find Hino at this rate..." she muttered angrily. Stealth was not on her side today.  
  
"Usagi! Usagi-san! Wait!" a desperate voice cried out, its masculinity echoing in her ears. She came to a dead stop on her heel, finally reaching a secluded area that no one had yet infiltrated. "Usagi!"   
  
Blocking out the voice, she leaned against the corner for support as a new wave of dizziness passed over her. She knew better than to be running around in the condition she was--but what choice did she have?   
  
'Mamo-chan. Minna, give me strength,' she plead silently, praying for fortitude and the safety of her sister.   
  
"Usa!" the voice persisted, and within second, a harsh handle wrapped itself about her upper arm. Immediately in response, she whipped around and violently brought her free hand down in a fist upon the elbow of the assailent.   
  
"Cody! Oh no!" the blonde gasped, her arms shooting out to comfort him. Her cerulean eyes were wide now as she listened helplessly to his mutters, backing away as he did so.   
  
"Hinotama's gone," he said in a guttural tone, rubbing furiously at his elbow. A brief glint of pain entered his eyes and quickly disappeared as he looked at her. Usagi nodded, her eyes reflecting his grief. "Everyone is freaking out...an enormous mass of demons is quickly approaching the base, and our leader flew the coop. I don't know what to do..."   
  
"I know, and I'm going after her," Usagi answered, a determined air now surrounding her. "I won't let you die. Not a single one of you. I've fought too many battles and for too long to lose any more friends. Get down to Communications, and fire up the comlink system. Have Derek try to tag Hinotama and contact me as soon as possible." She held up a small, hand-held object that resembled a walkee-talkee.   
  
Cody touched her shoulder tenderly, a smile forcing itself to the surface. But soon enough, he found himself engulfed in a warm hug. "Usagi--  
  
"Please, Cody," she murmured, squeezing. "You're all like family to me. And Jerrid, look out for him. I won't leave until I know that the two love birds in denial have come to terms." A half-smile graced her lips as she reflected on her sister's bitter relationship with the general.   
  
The blonde haired young man stepped back, holding her at arm's length. "Be careful."   
  
"Always." She turned her back, preparing to head off into the eternal night. And she couldn't help but wonder, despite the hope she promised, would she die alone tonight? Cody, behind her, however smiled weakly and waited for her to go on her way. When she remained firmly planted in place, he walked towards her, tilting his head in question.   
  
"What is it?" he wondered quietly. The blonde young woman wheeled around to face him, looking up into his brilliant eyes.   
  
"Myou," she said in a near whisper. "I'm sorry that she..."  
  
Feeling a sudden wave of tears, Cody nodded, blinking them back. "Go on now, you've got a sister--and a world--to save." Usagi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran off without another word, blonde mane flying behind her. "Be careful...please."  
  
*~*~*  
  
Launching herself into the air, the young fighter came down upon the demon, and swiveled around it, gaining a vantage point near its belly. Dogding its lashing tail, a scream of esctasy escaped Hinotama as she drove her blade deep into the throat of the Viperion, ripping it through its flesh with a momentous force. The demon's bladed arms froze in place, and its snake tail wiggled furiously as a result of the endured trauma. Chest heaving, Hino watched in vengeful satisfaction as inky blood dribbled down its snake-like body. With a shriek and a low gurgle, it sagged to the ground, eyes wide and tongue exposed through its well-endowed, fanged mouth.   
  
She reached down and wrenched her weapon from its corpse in a fluid, effortless motion. Her hair was mussed and flew all about, and her eyes were wild. Not full of passion or life...but wild with hatred and all of accompanying evils. Though she did not fear what might become of her--Hinotama's only objective was to end the darkness.   
  
Glancing callously at the fallen Viperion, she cast it a smirk. "Like I said...it's you or me." All of a sudden, it was as if a shot had gone off in head. Paralyzed with concentration, Hinotama's thoughts wandered, desperately seeking the cause.   
  
Usagi. Usagi was awake and strong...and trailing her as well.   
  
"Usagi-san!" her voice echoed suddenly, carrying on the silent air. It was as if a light had gone off in her mind, awakening her senses. "I can't do this without you, I just don't want anyone else to die!" Those reawakened thoughts, however, quickly died as the faroff gurgle of another demon approached. Immediately, her kamikaze-mission mode took over and she was completely immersed. Inside, her heart and mind were screaming, but Hinotama would not hear it. No one else would die. Save for herself.   
  
Her glittering eyes beseeched a location far beyond their reach, and she closed them, tilting back her head. "Usagi...no one else will die..." Palms facing out, as if to address to dead world before her, they gradually began to glow. Accessing the gift that Fate had bestowed upon her, Hinotama conjured her magical abilites.   
  
"In a world of death...draw me forth to the darkness..." she called out, her hands ablaze with swirling spheres of ruby hued energy. Clasping her hands together in one fluid motion, the spheres melded into one and it popped out of her grip, floating before her at eye-level. Eye's snapping open, Hinotama regarded her creations with an empty smile. "Take me to them! Take me to the powers that stole away their lives!" She could feel the warmth of the Sunfire Crystal against her skin as it burned through her jacket.   
  
They were with her. At once she could feel them near and she smiled faintly.   
  
The sphere shot forth in immediate compliance and Hinotama prepared herself for the battle ahead. Flexing the hand that now wielded her blade, she sped off after the fluttering ball. A smirk graced her lips and a dark glint filled her normally bright eyes. It was now or never.   
  
  
  
  
  
R/R!!  
  
  
  
  



	16. Ambivalence

I do not own Sailor Moon, but this story is most certainly mine. ^__^ enjoy!   
  


Falling Stars  


  
Chapter 16  
  
Usagi stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she reached the surface, her eyes growing wide. Her cerulean gaze surveyed the land, and inwardly she cringed as she realized how much worse it was since she had arrived months before. She suddenly felt entirely uneasy and came to doubt the lessons she had been taught that were meant to help her survive. Just then she was fearful they weren't enough.   
  
Her fingers unconsciously found the switch upon the walkie-talkie, immediately opening up the communication link back to the shelter below. "Derek, do you read me? Over."   
  
The static crackled for a moment before his solemn reply came. "I'm here, Usagi-san. Over." Usagi tilted her head back, suddenly overcome with a distinct pressure. Her limbs fell limp and the communicator slid from her grip to the firm ground with a small clunk. She could feel something...it was burning in her chest...  
  
Her heart?   
  
"My gift," she whispered slowly, blinking her eyes with realization. Usagi slumped to the ground after a moment, her chest heaving and heavy. Leaning against her hip, Usagi's arms shot out before her for support, and then she began to comprehend how weak she had become. She'd spent weeks in bed, totally debilitated, and all of a sudden she was out and about, prepared to launch a full-fledged attack on the hellmouth that had become her sister's world. Again the burning sensation persisted, and with a small cry Usagi's hand shot to her chest and she fell backwards. After a moment, it immediately subsided and such a sensation was felt no more. Instantly, a vision of Hinotama filled her thoughts, and with it she could see how ultimately disoriented and mission-bent her sister had become.   
  
'My gift...it has awakened...' she thought, slightly elated. Finally, her tool had sprung forth in her soul with a fervent light!   
  
"Usa? Usagi, what's going on? Over!" Cody's voice exclaimed out of the blue, slicing through the dirty, silent air. The blonde's ponytail of gold sprayed out behind her like a bright fan and Usagi quickly reached over to retrieve the now-bleeping object.  
  
"Cody, Derek...it's alright. She knows--Hinotama knows that I'm awake." She could just envision the two young men glancing over at one another nervously that very moment. "I can see a fallen demon in the distance...Hino's been on a killing streak and she's out for blood. Somehow I know where she's going...and I aim to save her, and all of us. Over."  
  
The dead air crackled again for a few moments before anyone else replied. "Usagi, listen to me. You're going to get yourself killed!" Jerrid's voice came through, a bit more shaken than anything else.   
  
"Not now!" Usagi interjected, about ready to discard the blasted object. "Our lives are all on the line and I'm not going to sit on the sidelines waiting for the apocalypse. Now help me or stay the hell out of my way!"   
  
Another moment of silence. "Over," she added, softly this time.  
  
"Usagi-hime, is there any way we can assist you? Over." Jerrid offered, finally caving. Usagi clambered to her feet, deep eyes cautious as she tried to keep the volume to a minimum. Her blonde ponytail floated behind her like a golden ghost upon the filthy wind.  
  
"Yes. Hinotama is heading deep within the confines of the darkness, and now that my calling has finally awakened, I believe I can keep a close eye on her. She's trying to save us, meanwhile endangering her own life. This hell cannot be stopped without the both of us. I need for you to keep open communications and prepare the cavalry. I can feel the demon legions, and they're headed here. I can deter them, but not for long. I just..." She cut off, overcome by tears. "I don't know what I'm doing...I'm afraid I'm going to fail you..."  
  
Her sobs alarmed the three boys back underground, and before she could regain her senses, Jerrid and Cody were already off like shots, ready to help her. They barreled through the shelter door, their expressions soft. "Usagi-chan, we're coming with you," Cody said with a small smile, touching her arms lightly. Both were already well-endowed with weaponry and the three, with somber expressions, went off in search of their beloved Hinotama.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"Lilith-hime," a raspy voice echoed throughout the dimly lit cathedral-like structure. "Lilith-hime." The altar, which in its place remained a large, velvet-covered, ruby throne beneath the soft light of a candle-lit chandelier, was situated in the center of the grand hall. A halo of light seemed to form around the immense throne, that was draped in dark shades of blood-red, jade, and deep navy. That halo was the only source of light within the enormous, silent, and otherwise pitch-black room.   
  
"What is it, _Merph_?" an annoyed, feminine voice snapped in reply. A pair of impossibly long, slim, and delicate legs were hung lazily over one arm of such a throne, adorned by a pair gleaming, high-heeled black sandals.   
  
"M'Lady, if you'd excuse the interruption," the raspy voice continued, and the bearer of such a throaty tone entered the small halo that acted almost as a spotlight above the throne. The person to which the bearer's words were to directed, however, remained conveniently shadowed.   
  
An irritated sigh followed the bearer's words. "Yes, if you _must_..." the feminine snap echoed again.   
  
"She's on her way," the voice answered, eyes averted from the more dominant figure in the scene. The bearer was actually a female, one graced with a pair of black dragonfly's wings and a sweeping black tail, both that touched the floor. Her hair--or what would have been considered it--draped over her shoulders in a waterfall of periwinkle, glistening beneath the light of the chandelier.   
  
"Raise your eyes, Merph," the other female instructed, suddenly calm. "Those pretty lavender eyes."   
  
"Yes, my Princess?" Merpha said quietly, obeying. Lilith's eyes suddenly lit aflame beneath the light. Their hue flickered with every second, their color always changing. At this very moment, a vivid crimson burned through the amber that had been the second before.   
  
"Allow her entrance...let nothing disturb my fun," Lilith laughed. The spotlight suddenly seemed to swing and instantly it highlighted the brilliantly satanic young woman. Locks of glossy midnight spilled down her shoulders and back, running off of the large throne's arms. Clothed in a revealing black gown that was cut above her knees, she tossed the insect-like faery a look of elation. Merpha nodded vigorously and jumped back, her wings beating fiercely as she propelled herself away and into the air.   
  
Once left to herself, Lilith stretched her arms and legs, nearly mimicking a lazy cat. Flexing her feet and ankles, she finally swung her legs over the arm of the chair and planted them firmly on the ground. Her well-tanned skin seemed to glow beneath the light as she raised her hands. Within them materialized a small ball of writhing ebony. "Come my fair, fiery Princess...no longer shall your brilliant light shine. I will soon have the pleasure of devouring everything with my darkness."  
  
*~*~*  
  
Hinotama launched herself behind a large mass of rock just as the dark beam of energy shot past her, just barely missing its mark. Her chest heaved as she glanced to the side, back pressed against the mass. Her hands began to scramble amongst her weapons, frantic in deciding which would best suit her situation. "Well, Mr. Morpha...should I fill you with lead, or let you suck down a blast of energy?" She pondered this for a moment, smiling inwardly at her humor.  
  
She could sense the built and cat-like creature stalking forward, its nose upturned as it sniffed the air for her scent. With such a distraction, Hinotama burst out from behind the rockmass and let loose a discus of blue light, that easily sliced through the large, feral monstrosity. With a low cry it recoiled, but apparently the blow was not enough. It cowered its head, and rubbed at it with its front paw. Flicking its tail warily, it approached, its stance low to the ground. Exposing its retractable black claws, the Morpha snarled like a cougar and leapt forward, slamming Hinotama against the ground--hard. It was nearly hard enough for her to lose consciousness as her head knocked back against a slab of concrete. Blood pouring from her temple area, she let out a scream, kicking her legs up to fend off the beast. Obviously, persistence was its strong suit.   
  
It emitted another roar and extended its jaws, launching them at the furious girl beneath. She kept her hands pressed against its neck, forcing away the monster as it remained on the offensive. Teeth, like razors, came close to hooking into her each moment, and with a roar of anger equal to the cat's, Hinotama continued her fight. Its breath was hot and nauseating, and smelled of fresh blood. Hinotama gave it a final, determined kick that struck the beast in its throat, temporarily suffocating it. It stepped away, whining and choking. The young Princess rolled away, body shaking, and pulled the long dagger from her boot. In a fluid motion, she chucked it at the Morpha with a cry and it conveniently buried itself deep within the beast's neck.   
  
A gleam of pure, cold-blooded rage filled the blue eyes of the Morpha, and quickly it set to mutating itself into a large creature. Hinotama realized with a look of horror that it was no longer the catlike Morpha, but a Gemini. It's tan, griffin's wings and tail flashed in the air wildly, as a call--much resembling a bird's--echoed from it's reptilian head. Standing firmly on four, clawed legs, the Gemini glared down upon Hinotama with a look that could have passed for a smirk.   
  
Another cry echoed on the air, and Hinotama hoisted herself from the ground, refusing to give up. She knew by doing what she was prepared to do could possibly end her life, and endanger the other's. But in this way, if she were lucky, the others would be spared and she could continue on her quest. There wasn't an alternative. She had once told Usagi that using your gift and your power by birthright could easily kill you--not because of your power, but because the demons would sense it. At this point, Hinotama cared little if they found her or not. She welcomed their presence and was eager to finally avenge her homeworld--to once again bestow life in her dead world. "Blessed fire, dancing flame, crimson blood of tainted name," Hinotama began, closing her eyes and lifting her arms up, palms facing the sky. "Dillute the vision, enslave the heart, light of my will..."   
  
Her shout sliced through the silence and from her hands flashed a brilliant, burning light. Her Prussian-eyes shot open, and her hair flapped behind her on an unfelt wind. A blazing flame burst forth from her palms, quickly mounting and growing to assemble an enormous fireball. "Dispell the dark!" With this, she ripped her hands from the ball, and immediately it exploded forth. Quickly catching upon the skin of the Gemini, it tore through its flesh and within seconds, beneath the roaring of both the creature and the flames, nothing was left but a smoldering pile of ashses.   
  
Hinotama let out a gulp before moving on, and once she did, her thoughts kept reverting back to Usagi. Finally awake...her dear sister. Though her mind was at war with her heart, inwardly, both prayed that the beloved Moon Princess was safe.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The character Lilith used in this story, is not apart of any other in which she might have been mentioned. Thanks and please review!!   
  
  
  
  



	17. Fate's Puppet

Standard disclaimers apply..........do you have any idea how sick of repeating this I am? lol enjoy!  


  
  


Falling Stars  
  


Chapter 17  


  


Usagi felt the chain-link fence dig into her back upon impact, and with a painful cry she slumped to the ground, blonde hair sweeping into her eyes as her head hung forward. Apparently the Viperion's tail-lash was stronger than she had expected. When it slammed into her abdomen, she flew backwards a considerable amount and was tossed against a rusty old gating that protruded from amongst the rubble. "Cody, look out!" she screamed suddenly, her eyes flashing wide open as she noticed a stray flicker of movement to the left of their position.   
  
The golden-haired young man turned on his heel just in time to duck beneath an oncoming, airborne assault. His bright green eyes flashed relief as he rolled away from the Viperion, simultaneously whipping out and prepping a large rifle. With two effortless shots, Cody watched in slight satisfaction as the snake-demon sagged to the ground, its eyes bulging. "Usagi!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side and pulling her to her feet, the rifle dropping to the ground. "Are you all right?"   
  
She forced a nod, shaking away another wave of dizziness. 'Hinotama...'  
  
"A little help here!" Jerrid's voice echoed in a near growl as he struggled beneath a Morpha. The cat arched its back and drove its jaws down into the ground, narrowly missing Jerrid's throat. With a might shout, he threw a few forceful punches that gouged the cat in the eyes and landed conveniently beneath its jaw. With a high-pitched shriek it backed away, yelping.   
  
Usagi, seeing this window of opportunity, seized it. She launched herself away from Cody's supporting arm and slid into a fluid flip, her feet coming down upon the cat's back. Immediately as the cat sensed her presence, its head swiveled about, desperately trying to snap at her. Usagi on the other hand, landed perfectly, holding her balance. The two men watched in amazement as she kept her stance over the enormous beast, and prepared to aid her at any time.   
  
"Usagi! Look out!" Jerrid shouted, pounding his fist against a rock. He couldn't let everyone he cared for die...especially not Hinotama. If anything happened to her he'd--  
  
"Hino!" Usagi screamed in rage, and tore the lengthy, silver blade from her boot. With a cry, she lifted it above her head and then drove it down into the creature's spine. Cody and Jerrid watched from the ground in near horror, viewing the golden haired angel not as a savior---not the Messiah---but a hateful overlord, much like the ones they fought. She'd never done something with such vengeance...spilled blood with such rage--hate. Usagi was nearly ashamed as she rolled away from the slumping beast, the blade back in her grip once again. She sat for a moment, staring out at nothing with her reddened eyes. Cross-legged, she sat and lifted the blade to her eye-level, gazing at it despondently. Tilting her head back and forth, messy ponytail swinging side to side, Usagi could feel her heart burning again. Within moments her sanity faded and the light left her soul. In the name of her love for family and friends, the life within her died. The good fight she once upheld had become a bloody battle for survival. Ethics, morality, and darkness melded together into one blurry vision that obscured the very light her soul once bore with truth and hope. What hope--what truth? Just then she could no longer blame Hinotama for being so bloodthirsty, wild, but ever-passionate. "I can't do this."  
  
"What?" Cody and Jerrid went to her side, each taking a gentle hold of her upper arms. They attempted to lift her to her feet, but rather than complying, Usagi remained stubborn and kept herself firmly in place. "Usagi-san, we have to keep going."  
  
Her cerulean gaze lifted to Cody's and a sad glint filled her eyes. Usagi simply shook her head, then resembling a lost and bewildered psych-war patient. She wrapped her arms around her self and turned her stare away from the boys. "I can't."   
  
"You have to," Jerrid spat suddenly, kneeling before her. "You don't have a choice." His tone was cold and hard, and immediately the other two individuals realized what an impact it had. Usagi reverted from her strong, forthright attitude back to one of pain, fear, and self-consciousness.   
  
"I've always been Fate's puppet..." she replied, repeating her statement from earlier. A gleam of pain suddenly flickered in her eyes as her chest gave in to the intense burning once again. Cody sensed it and reached out to support her. "I can't save you---I don't know how. They taught me that hate would only bring more darkness...and I fear that the apocalypse will be a product of my own emotions."   
  
"You can't give in, Usagi. That's what they want...they need for you to give up--let go of what is true. We love you, and Hinotama needs you. Don't lose sight of that...don't lose sight of those you left back home. They need you as much as we do...because if we fail here, the rest of the universe will suffer our plight as well. Please, Usagi-hime, Lady of the Moon. Messiah, as they call you. If not for us, then for them," Cody insisted, his brilliant green gaze burning holes in Usagi.   
  
He was right and Usagi knew it. How could she be so selfish? What ever would Mother think of her? A daughter of royalty tossing away her gift, her beliefs. Why? Because she was afraid of change, afraid to truly instill hope? Hadn't she spent her years trying to do just that?   
  
The blonde faltered for a moment, dragging in a deep breath and releasing it through a soft sigh. She glanced at the blade and suddenly flung it away into the rubble with a sad expression. The blood...how could she have drawn blood? "Mamoru..." she whispered, her gaze on the very rubble she sat upon, eyes suddenly welling up with tears. "Rei, Ami, Makoto...Minako. Hinotama..."  
  
"Your beloved...and your senshi?" Cody inquired, his voice all-knowing but comforting. Usagi nodded and she glanced down at herself, disgusted. Blood stained her black pants and her solid-hued tank-top was torn at one of the hems.   
  
"They don't know that I'm gone..." she murmured, her thoughts immediately leaving behind the present scenario. She watched herself reappear within the arms of her dear Mamo-chan, the girls gathered around them smiling. She found herself in a world where hate did no exist. There was no pain. There wasn't any sorrow. Life was simple and perfect. Suffering was something they had long-forgotten, something they deserved to allow their minds to lose entirely. Usagi nearly began to hate Hinotama just then, furious that she was no suffering again. Her entire life was shrouded in anger, immersed in pain. Hadn't she suffered enough already? "I don't want to lose them again. Not like this," she continued, shaking her head vigorously as she returned to reality. The men before her were a bit bewildered as her gaze suddenly trailed up to Jerrid, locking on him with a hateful stare. "Why couldn't you just tell her?"   
  
"What?" he stammered, brow furrowed.   
  
"Why couldn't you just tell her that you love her?" Usagi shouted, jumping to her feet and launching herself at Jerrid. Eyes wide with fright, the men flew backwards as the golden-haired princess tore him to the ground. Her raging blue gaze radiated of hatred, jealousy, fear, and shame. "She's going to die and she'll never know how much you love her! I've lost everyone I've ever loved a thousand times over...and I don't want her to endure the same fate! Not again!"   
  
Jerrid beneath her just stared at her, his amber eyes wide and his mouth gaping as she continued on her tangent. Straddling him against the ground, Usagi drew back a fist and prepared to rocket it forth against the silent man's cheek--until Cody grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away. "Snap out of it, Usagi! You can't go crazy on us--not now!" Cody demanded, his tone losing its comforting appeal. His touch rough and harsh now, he spun her around to face him, eyes blazing. "You can_not_ do this to us! Usagi! What is _wrong_ with you? Look at me!"   
  
But she wouldn't--couldn't. Her eyes had gone blank and were filled with a dark, sinking emptiness. The blonde-haired young man could merely stare at her, his lips slightly parted as she shook her gently. The Messiah's eyes were wide open, but completely empty. Where life and love had flourished moments before, a cold and penetrating dull ice now resided.  
  
"Cody?" Jerrid murmured, sitting up and still slightly shaken. He ran a hand through his unruly midnight night and blinked his eyes as if adjusting to an abrupt, brilliant flash of light.   
  
"Something's wrong with her--it's like she's not even here," the other man replied hurriedly, his tone full of concern and worry as he glanced back over his shoulder. With a grunt, Jerrid bolted over towards the young woman and took a firm grip on her shoulders.   
  
"Usagi! Wake up!" he shouted, eyes narrowed and angry. He couldn't let her leave, not his beloved's sister. Usagi, though impulsive and often times finding herself in an opposing position to Jerrid, had struck a connection and forged a friendly bond with him. She was one of the few friends he still had--left alive. What would happen to Hino if her sister lost her life? It would drive her insane, that's what--if she hadn't already lost her mind. "Don't leave her to die!"   
  
Cody placed an arm on Jerrid's shoulder suddenly, and the dark-haired man's calls slowly ceased. Jerrid's eyes of sharp amber bore into Cody's emerald, which were now soft, quiet and sad. "Jerrid--  
  
"What's wrong with you? We can't just leave her like this!" Jerrid spat, glaring at him. He moved away from the other man's hand, rolling it off of his shoulder.   
  
The blonde's brilliant eyes flickered as they fell on Usagi and he shook his head ruefully. She looks like a beautiful porcelain doll who sat forlornly upon a darkened shelf. "Jerrid...Usagi isn't here." Jerrid's eyes could only widen like saucers and glance back and forth between the two individuals before him. In a state of quiet delirium, the midnight-haired man gently sat back and away from the girl, watching her intently.   
  
Sitting somewhat Indian-style, hair flying everywhere, Usagi gazed darkly out into nothingness, leaning slightly forwards. "She's like a shell," Jerrid remarked, lowering his head. He'd by now been moved to tears as he watched the golden-haired Princess crumble. Her stare was so empty, so lost--and there was nothing there. Only her flawless, beautiful body remained. Where the lively, bubbling soul had gone to, however, neither man could tell.   
  
Both young men glanced at one another, their eyes dark and ringed with sleep. "I've always been Fate's puppet..." Jerrid said quietly, averting his teary stare from Cody. At this moment he felt like the biggest fool in the world.   
  
"What are you talking about?" the blonde inquired, confusion evident from his expression.  
  
"She keeps repeating that phrase," Jerrid replied, now meeting Cody's eyes, voice nearly hysterical. "And every time she does, it's like her entire facade of hope and strength literally melts away and reveals a shaking, faithless child lost in the unforgiving cold. Her voice can open you up and expose your every wound and force them under the light whether or not you want to. All she has to do is blink her eyes and your entire world crumbles. She's the Messiah...she's what we've hoped for. She truly is our savior's sister. And she's right about me...about all of us."  
  
"All of us?"  
  
"I love Hinotama, and I could never bring myself to tell her...because I'm a coward. And this _girl _knew it all from that start. Damn you, Usagi," Jerrid said with a lopsided smile, smirking at the despondent princess.  
  
"She's never been just a girl. Usagi had to grow up faster than she should have...just like us. We were all exposed to things teenagers should never know, never feel, never have to understand. Look at you and me, Jerrid. Military leaders. Hunters. Killers. We're all lost and wandering around this barren wasteland we call life. Don't you see, it's Hinotama and Usagi that wear our wounds, that carry our shame. They are the _true_ beings...they live for our salvation. We don't have purpose without them to defend and to care for. They are life's _light_. The two young women who bear the weight of the worlds on their shoulders without complaint, who defend their friends and family to the death--selflessly. Twin flames dancing amongst the dark rubble of hell...they are hope of the universe." Cody fell silent for a moment, both men watching Usagi intently.   
  
"Where...where do you think she is?" Jerrid said in a hushed tone after a few minutes, clearing his choked voice. Their gazes returned to the beautiful young princess who sat before them. She remained completely still and so still that she nearly seemed to stopped breathing altogether. Usagi truly was a shell without a soul, silent and empty. Her brilliant blue eyes had faded to a dull sapphire, the light and the life truly absent. Pale, nearly sheet white, she sat motionless and gazing out at nothing. Cody had by now pulled her into his arms, gently resting her head back against his leg as his arm supported her back. Her expression was blank--much like her eyes--and conveyed a loss so grave that not even words or time itself could describe. Both men knew that Usagi was somewhere else, visiting another time and place perhaps.   
  
But wherever she was...  
  
"I really wish I knew," Cody murmured forlornly, his eyes rising to meet the churning, bloody skies above.   
  
...time seemed to slow with her leave.   
  
  
*~*~*  
  
The delicate tinkling of chimes soon began to the fill the air of the tranquil, pastel-hued bedroom. It was immense in size, bathed in lively colors such as coral, baby blue, sea-foam green, and sunshine yellow save for the pure white bedspread and the matching curtains that draped to the floor from the three gallery windows. The walls, as equally white, seemed to glow in the warmth of the summer mid-afternoon. Through such windows that graced three of the four bedroom walls, a view far more spectacular than any majestic wonder could be viewed. A gentle, softly salted breeze danced in through the mahogany-framed doorway whose actual door was left wide open, oscillating with the movement of air. It was at this moment that such a strange scent tickled Usagi's nose, drawing her back to the world of the waking.  
  
A ray of brilliant sunshine had fallen onto her flawless, tanned face and her crystal clear eyes blinked at the light adjustment. Blonde hair rolled up perfectly into her trademark odangoes and sweeping pigtails slung over her body, Usagi glanced about herself in confusion and slowly sat up. Her eyes fell upon the gallery window directly across from the enormous, feather-soft white bed and immediately her breath caught in her throat.  
  
She had never seen such a beautiful thing before in her entire life. Miles and miles of glistening, Prussian ocean waters reached back to the horizon where the glorious summer sun beat down upon the waves--evoking a shine of diamonds. Glittering white sand stretched parallel to the glistening beauty, the waters lapping against its shores. Like a ball of hopeful light breathing life into every object its rays caressed, the sun shone with a magnificence that a mortal should never have the privilege of knowing. As if her ability to speak had been stolen, Usagi swung her legs over the side of great bed, allowing her wide eyes to scan the entire room. It soon became evident to her that she had awaken in Paradise.   
  
The room in which she had risen resembled a small beach house rather than a bedroom. An enormous gallery window graced the north, east, and west walls of the room--based upon Usagi's position on the bed. Two doors, both framed with a gorgeous mahogany luster, were situated opposite one another, one at the west wall, and the other at the east. A large white fan, adorned with brass fixtures, spun on the ceiling above, circulating the intoxicating scent of the ocean. No longer did the burning of Usagi's heart impose itself and she soon came to realize that she was truly in heaven, in paradise...and for the first time in quite a while, she truly felt alive.   
  
Sliding down from the bed, the moon rabbit padded across the wood-paneled floor, pleasantly surprised to find it creak-free. Upon reaching the north window, she placed a finger to the smooth, perfect panes and sighed. A few swaying palm trees graced that stretch of sand, but not a thing she could see in such a place could compare to the splendorous ocean before her. Another flash of sunlight blinded her for a moment, and in that instant her reflection was caught in the panes. A wondrous glow warmed her cheeks and her eyes had never been so bright. No longer was she clothed in darkness, but rather in a silken, lavender paisley sundress. Usagi immediately tore her fingertips from the panes and stepped back, whirling around to study her surroundings further. The bed was literally covered in pastel-colored pillows, those of sunny yellows catching her attention the most. Everything was so bright and happy; nothing could darken such a heavenly place.   
  
The feeling of being alone suddenly crept up and jumped at Usagi, slightly unnerving her. The warmth of the sunlight on her back as it poured through the window behind her, however, beckoned for her to rejoin the safe, glistening haven. Her focus turned from the literally dreamlike bedroom, and she stepped out of the house through the west door, carefully guiding herself down to the shining sand. A look of euphoria resided in Usagi's expression as her toes sunk into the sand. Reveling in the strange, but welcomed sensation, Usagi continued away from the house, journeying beneath the shade of a tall palm towards the shores. The sweet scent of salt again rushed up to meet her and immediately her senses were enlightened. Within the vast expanse of ocean before her, each wave grumbled with a hushed, carefree roar as it raced towards the sands, suddenly breaking with a whisper upon reaching the desired destination. The blonde again sighed and leaned back against rough bark of the palm tree.   
  
She closed her cerulean eyes for a moment and allowed a joyous smile to dance upon her full pink lips. Another breeze played with the knee-length hems of her sundress, twirling also about her ankles. The somehow-familiar, twinkling of chimes suddenly became to fill her ears, and Usagi's eyes flickered open once again. A brilliant, almost blinding light had appeared upon the sand beneath the gleaming sun and for a moment that's all the young woman thought it to be. As her eyes studied such an appearance longer, Usagi soon began to realize that it was not the sand, but a form...a figure. A person. Her thoughts reeled and Mamoru came to mind. As if for the first time finding her voice, Usagi cried out and ventured forth with a brief sprint, only to stop short to realize that it was not her beloved but someone--or perhaps something--else. The brilliant gleam that had once filled her eyes quickly faded as she realized Mamoru was to be found. At precisely that moment, however, the blinding glow of the form too began to fade, and in its place remained a woman, most likely a few years older than Usagi herself.   
  
She did not speak, but merely smiled at a bewildered Usagi, still nearly glowing beneath the intense sunshine. A gown of pale peach draped around her slim, lithe form and was cut just above her knees exposing her long, tanned legs. Her feet, bare even against the scorching sand that was not in the shade, seemed to suffer far less than Usagi's. Wincing, the blonde kept her eyes locked on the form, who still did not speak.   
  
"This is Paradise, is it not?" Usagi questioned both herself and the form suddenly. Another, stronger wind kicked up and whipped Usagi's golden streams all about.   
  
The form merely smiled once again and blinked her large, but gorgeous sapphire eyes that were highlighted by distinct, sparkling crimson slits. Her rich auburn hair fell to her mid-back, and the top was twisted up into an intricate braid. Strands of thin, sparkling gold material were woven into her tresses, reflecting the light from above. The rest of her luxurious locks hung loose and swayed on the ocean breeze. "Paradise...yes. But life is not a Paradise...therefore we cannot truly live," the woman finally spoke with a little laugh.  
  
"For a moment I was afraid you were mute," Usagi quipped cutely, nearly taken aback.   
  
The woman shook her head and laughed again. "A firecracker...like your sister Hinotama I see."  
  
Usagi stopped cold. "My sister. Hinotama." The blonde's thoughts of peace and happiness immediately faded and were tossed into the hellish flames of reality. She wasn't truly living this joy...it was another dream. Another apparition. "How do you know her? Why am I here?"  
  
The woman suddenly grew quiet and she motioned towards the ocean and the beauty that surrounded them by sweeping her arm out to her side. "This is what she loved---what she knew before the Dark Ones penetrated the happiness on which she had built this world," she explained, multihued eyes flickering. "This is what they stole...and this is what Hino-hime fights to restore for her people."  
  
Usagi gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Hinotama truly had experienced Paradise...no wonder she was so kamikaze about destroying the Dark Lords. "I'm so ashamed...I awoke in this beautiful world and tried to suppress my obligation to her. No--not an obligation, my desire to help my sister and her friends. They're like family to me...and I saw this haven and just wanted to forget...forget everything."   
  
The woman shook her head and stepped towards Usagi, eyes dancing. "It is not your fault Princess Selenity. Tsukino Usagi. The circumstances are great...no one with a heart can be expected to truly endure such a pain-filled world. After all, the weak will merely lose their minds and fall to the darkness."  
  
"What about Hinotama?" the blonde suddenly exclaimed, enraged at this strange woman. "She's going crazy _trying_ to endure, trying to understand, and trying to fight back. Her beloved, her senshi, her friends...they all died. All she wants is to save what she has left and to rebuild! She is set on giving her life to save those left alive...including me and my world. I've been so selfish and nothing I do can ever compare to what she has. I came here hating my own sister, loathing her for the fact that she had to drag me out of my own happy life. Which in the meantime was already troubled and brimming with anger. I hated my duties...I hated my life and my purpose. And I wanted to dismiss those who had once filled with me light and gave my spirit wings. But Hinotama's heart is one of pure, genuine gold. And she wants nothing more than to defeat the darkness and selflessly she will even sacrifice herself alone to do it! And I will be damned if I stand by and allow you to slander my sister!"   
  
Clearly impressed and wearing a pleased smile, the woman bent down one knee, eyes sparkling, and bowed to Usagi--who meanwhile remained entirely confused and befuddled. "Princess Selenity, Messiah of the Moon...my name is Kasumi. I serve Princess Hinotama of the Sun."   
  
The name struck a cord within Usagi and immediately she remembered. "Kasumi...Hino's lost senshi," she breathed, completely humiliated. "I had no idea, I'm so sorry...I--  
  
"Usagi-san. Please do not trouble yourself. Your love for your sister is a great thing and has established a deep bond, and it will be the source of your strength. But now, _she_ needs you more than anything else. Without her, light cannot exist. The both of you maintain the balance of the universe, and if one half is fallen...the worlds will crumble. Hinotama was like a sister to all of us, the other senshi and myself. We're watching over her, every moment. But we cannot help her anymore...as much as we love her...she needs her _true_ sister."  
  
"Tell me how to help, Kasumi-san. Tell me how to save my sister," Usagi replied quickly, her eyes wide and tone serious as she pressed a fist to her chest. Her heavenly state abandoned for a reality within sur-reality, Usagi knew that the time had come. But she would gladly give up such a luxury if it meant saving her sister...her celestial twin. They needed her...Hino needed her. And this time, _nothing_ would stand in her way.   
  
  



	18. Understanding

I do not own Sailor Moon. Enjoy!  


  


Falling Stars  


  
Chapter 18  
  
As if for the first time in her entire life, Usagi woke up and truly felt alive. With her toes dug into the warm sand, her hair dancing on the salty breeze, and her eyes lit beneath the blazing sunset, her soul felt as if it was set aflame with passion. Not a loving passion, nor one of bliss...but one of determination and of strength. It had been so long since she felt this way...  
  
Kasumi cast her several sideways glances as they paced along the shore, their gazes often traveling to the vast, sparkling ocean beside them. Her auburn hair seemed to glow beneath the intense sunshine, and the once brilliant allure of her peachy tunic dulled as the light began to fade. Sunset loomed before them--taunting.  
  
"Where did it come from, Kasumi-san? Where do the Dark Ones originate?" Usagi inquired softly, stopping abruptly. Usagi curled her toes in the white sand beneath her, and she suddenly felt less-than-grounded. The dream-like apparition of the sunlit senshi seemed more real than even Usagi herself. "I have to know what I'm up against." When Kasumi hesitated to reply, Usagi waved her off. Perhaps she would have to find her own way...   
  
"Usagi-san, may I ask you a question?" the woman asked suddenly, contrary to the blonde's expectation.   
  
The Odango Atama blinked her light eyes and nodded reluctantly, her streams swinging behind her. "Hai."  
  
"Do you wonder if you made the wrong decision--many years ago when your journey as the senshi of the Moon began?" Kasumi spoke in a polite tone, now facing the ocean full-on. She closed her eyes and tilted back her head, breathing in deeply the fresh air. Elated at the sensation, her strange eyes twinkled as she glanced back at Usagi.   
  
The question, however, seemed to strike deeper within Usagi than Kasumi had intended. For she stifled a gasp, folded her arms, and looked away quickly. Her body language, on the other hand, spoke of insecurity rather than of offense. "At times I regretted ever accepting my destiny. But if that was the intended path for me...I would never truly stray from it. Somehow I'd always end up where I belonged. Don't you agree?"  
  
"I can, and do. I saw it in Hinotama once or twice, the regret...but as soon as this happened," she replied as the brilliant, beach-front property blackened to nothing more than a dark space, the two of them standing content within it, "That attitude never returned. She was set on reviving our last Utopia, though in many senses such an ideal was impossible to attain."   
  
Usagi's heart stopped as the beautiful scene disappeared and left a dark hole in its wake. "You mean, Hinotama was--  
  
"Yeah. A lot like you," Kasumi finished with a giggle. "Far more stubborn and feisty, but nonetheless a lot like you."   
  
"Rei-chan is like her--stubborn and fiery."  
  
"Ah, your senshi?"  
  
Usagi nodded with a tiny smile. "And a dear friend."  
  
"Do you wish to return to them?" Kasumi continued, her tone even and probing. Usagi replied with another nod. Suddenly Kasumi's brilliant gaze darkened and narrowed to one of disdain and skepticism.   
  
"More than anything...wait. What is happening? Something isn't right," she answered, as if realizing the darkness for the first time. "Kasumi-san..."   
  
"Did you really think that such a wonderous place could exist--even now?" Kasumi spat, eyes burning into Usagi with anger. Her tresses were gorgeous even in the seeming lack of light. And her eyes...they were so furious. "You left them behind to escape to a world of make-believe! They need you, Usagi-san!" Her arm shot out past Usagi, directing the blonde back to a location beyond them. "Leave this place and return to them!"   
  
Usagi stood stiff now, her arms tensed. "You're one of them aren't you?" she accused venomously.   
  
"Wouldn't that be appropriate...a demonic utopia," Kasumi replied with a smirk. "No, Selenity-hime. I am no such beastly thing...I loyally serve Hino-chan...even in death. We all do," she continued, casting a rueful glance upwards to what might have been the sky of the black nothingness. Usagi stepped back in realization, eyeing Kasumi carefully. If not a demon, but yet not exactly friendly--Usagi at least knew that Kasumi loyally served her sister. Which in the meantime was God know's where...  
  
Usagi balled her hands into fists and her eyes shot to the ground as rage began to flicker within her. It was the same lively passion she had felt mounting inside of her just moments before. Perhaps now she would truly understand. The rage was flickering again. "She told me that I bear a gift...one that will aid us in our quest. I wonder, Kasumi...do you ask if this will be your last breath?"  
  
"I'm already dead," Kasumi answered softly, as if enraged at the thought. Just knowing that she could not aid Hinotama as she once had was bad enough. "You realize that this is no longer a dream, Usagi-san. It is the embodiment of your insecurities, your fears, and your masked hates. We reside within the depths of your mind, within your soul. Which is perhaps why nothing we say seems to make any sense. This..._place_ is in your mind."   
  
Usagi looked away for a moment and sighed, pretty eyes sad. "Am I that twisted and selfish? I devulge to myself the very secrets I wished to lay away in the dark? The life I didn't want and yet accepted without fail? Kasumi-san, I did leave them behind. I'm reverting back to the attitude I bore in my own world...back home. Is this darkness...the darkness of _my_ mind what's poisoning this world and hindering its ability to revive itself?" She spun around to face the young woman, her expression pained and fearful. Usagi's eyes flew wide open and she threw herself at Kasumi, hysterical and nearly brought to tears. As she cried out, clinging to the deceased-senshi by the shoulders, her voice was desperate and wrought with pain. "Is she dead?"   
  
"Odango Atama...so silly," Kasumi laughed suddenly, but her voice no longer that of a woman. Usagi's eyes shot open and she leapt backwards, too frightened to cry any longer.  
  
"Mamoru..." she whispered breathlessly, eyes oscilating rapidly.  
  
"I see you haven't forgotten us...yet."  
  
"Forget you? Mamo-chan!" Usagi screamed, watching Kasumi's body change to that of her beloved's. Immediately, her eyes welled over with tears and Usagi fought to hold them back. She couldn't be sure as to whether or not she was experiencing a dream. "Stop this, onegai, Kasumi-san! Your tricks won't work on me...you're trying to protect Hinotama, I understand that! But you can't condemn me...I'm afraid. I admit it...I'm terrified. But I can't save her unless I know where it is I'm headed!"  
  
"You dreamed up this whole mess, Usako. Now fix it!" Mamoru chided, his masculine form looming before her. Usagi stared back at him wordlessly, mouth gaping. All the while, the young woman could not help but wonder if she had lost her mind...   
  
The man suddenly nodded, slowly bowing before her. "Save her, Usako...onegai," he--or was it she?--murmured sorrowfully. Their eyes locked and Usagi could no longer hold out against the stare. She dropped to her knees, level with the person in front of her.   
  
"I _will_ save her. I swear to you, in the name of the White Moon. I know you're not Mamoru...and I know that you love Hinotama, my sister, as if she were your own," Usagi proclaimed, taking 'Mamoru's' hands. Immediately, the masculine visage faded, and a pleased Kasumi remained. "It seems I've been sitting around forever now, saying that I'll do this and save that. But now it's time for me to actually do it."  
  
Kasumi nodded, her auburn hair swishing over her shoulders and settling around her gently. Blinking her odd eyes, she regarded Usagi with a slight smile. "Do you understand now, Usagi? Do you now see what you must do to save her? And to help her save us all?"   
  
The blonde tilted her head and offered the senshi a lopsided smile, her golden tresses swaying gently in the midst of the black nothingness in which they stood. "I've always been Fate's puppet...but I trust that my heart will guide me."   
  
  
  



	19. No Longer Aloof

I do not own Sailor Moon...but this story is the fantastic property of Me.   
  
Falling Stars  
  
Chapter 19  
  
Jerrid cast a look of sheer mortification Cody's way as they sat in complete silence, hovering over despondent Usagi. The girl's eyes remained blank, opaque blue orbs, simply staring off into the nothingness that was their world. A possible half hour had passed and radio silence had been maintained between the shelter and the trio for quite an extensive period of time. Things were not looking well and if Jerrid had felt it earlier, the sinking in the pit of his stomach had only deepened.   
  
"It's far too quiet...even for this place. Something's happened," Cody murmured, his eyes turning skyward. A sooty black hue had taken to the skies, staining them with hate. It was at this that with an almost wince Cody's emerald gaze returned to the seemingly lifeless young woman in his arms. Her stare remained locked on a point far above as Cody cradled her gently, her head leaning against his shoulder. "She has something to do with this. It feels like nothing has changed--like time has stopped."  
  
"Who knows, maybe the sisters have conjured up a potion to freeze life itself. I mean, they're all nuts...these girls make me weak," Jerrid sighed with a little laugh. Cody, however, could not return his false merriment. Myou had been all that consumed his thoughts for weeks on end. The very thought of her made his heart skip a beat--but alas, she was no longer with the living--no longer with him. He could only pray that soon enough, they would find one another once again. At this rate, though, he wasn't expecting much.   
  
"She's fighting, I can see it," Cody said after a long silence. "She's battling her way back to this place, despite the hell she's been through trying to protect it." Jerrid made no effort to reply as he sat back down beside his friend, leaning against a mass of rubble.   
  
"We can't stay here any longer, it's too dangerous. We're going to get killed," Jerrid entreated of his friend. The golden-haired man glanced back, his expression concerned, but said nothing. Their eyes locked and immediately Jerrid felt a chill crawl up his spine. "You're acting a little too calm for my liking."  
  
Cody's now-annoyed stare lifted from Usagi, "And what do you propose, that we flee about like maniacs and draw more attention to ourselves? Fail in finding Hino and then end up losing Usagi to her little zone? That's a brilliant idea, Lieutenant."   
  
"You're suggesting that I'm willing to let them take her from me?" Jerrid snapped, tensing at the ferocity of Cody's words. "Cody, you baka, we're not doing any good just sitting around waiting for the Princess here to snap out of her trance. Anything could have happened back at the shelter already...they could have gotten in--  
  
"No. That hasn't happened. The others would have radioed for help, and I know that these girls will not let us down," Cody insisted. "You know they won't, Jerrid. These girls--sisters--our friends, are this world's final hope. No matter the outcome, they'll fight until the end."  
  
"I know." Jerrid stood up and shook his head, placing his hand at the nape of his neck. "I know, Cody. I know. Or at least, I hope." The amber-eyed young man closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, running a shaky hand through his midnight hair. "All of this talk about battles...war...death...fighting until the end--it makes me queasy. We can sit here and drawl on and on about these concepts and fake abstractions, yet I don't see any definite action being taken to actually make the change. I almost wonder if our cause, if that's what it is, is really worth it all."  
  
"Jerr, I understand that you're worried about her. But we've got quite a dilemma on our hands...a few at that," Cody spoke up. "Things are slow, agonizingly so. Hinotama-hime is missing, Usagi is Kami knows where...the creatures are closing in...it seems so hopeless. But what choice do we have if not to fight?" Jerrid turned his back to the man and began to walk away, his eyes level with the horizon. "Where are you going?" Cody rebuked his cold shoulder with a tone of annoyance.   
  
The dark-haired man could hear the call of his friend, and almost drunkenly he swiveled about to face him. "I'm going to take a look around...they're going to wonder what's happened." Cody nodded and removed a handgun from his side pocket, still managing to support Usagi's seemingly fragile body.   
  
Jerrid pressed on, and finding a large embankment dug his booted feet into the rock. He proceeded in hoisting himself up onto the large rock with a grunt and upon reaching the summit, gave a little sight. His brilliant eyes scanned the area like a hawk; all the while he could not help but pray he'd recover some semblance of hope from his vantage point. 'I'm losing my resolve, Hinotama. This torment of being without you...not knowing where you are...it's killing me. Please, wherever you are, be safe. I know you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. Ai shiteru, Hino-chan.'   
  
Jerrid sat back against one of the larger formations like a broken doll, his head tipping to one side as he despondently observed the grounds. The sky was a putrid hue, yet the ruby tinge it held could nearly be considered pretty. The earth was tarnished, gray rubble and obliterated ruins, literal piles reaching up to the disgusting atmosphere like beacons of destruction. Jerrid shivered as a light, musty air danced against his bare arms. Immediately he wished that he were anywhere but there, perhaps basking in the glow of the sunlight upon a glistening beach. For an instant as he blinked, Jerrid swore that he had seen Usagi and another young woman whom he vaguely recognized seated upon the diamond-like sands of the aforementioned destination. Even so, he knew he was going crazy, and it was taking all he had from lapsing into total hysterics. Jerrid hated himself for being so weak, portraying any signs thereof. Sensitive...he had always maintained a tender, sweet quality--yet rarely displayed it for anyone. That did him a lot of good. In a way, however, it had. Locking away those feelings had granted him the incentive to work harder for the ones he would share them with. Hinotama...why did he love her anyway? She was snippy, sassy , not to mention neurotic...and yet. And in spite of it all he loved her because of everything she had proven to be--and already was.   
  
Upon meeting two years ago through a mutual friend, Jerrid hadn't been stricken by Hinotama as he was then. Her mannerisms, ideals, even logic seemed to irritate him. Especially those eyes of molten hues which seemed to glare straight through him, as if he were some writhing apparition. Though he could never understand why. Perhaps it had been because she was his equal, able to match him on any level despite their age difference. Dealing with individuals who happen to equal him was an ordeal Jerrid hadn't come to enjoy, one rather he tried to avoid. He had become accustomed to the fact that life and many of its components came with a natural ease for him--finding out that he had met his match was something he had not anticipated and it more than likely shocked him. Hinotama was confident, strong, loud, unwavering, quick-witted, and sarcastic. It was especially difficult to maintain a steady friendship with her because their relationship had become more of a debate. She could contest him in any way, shape, or form, and engaging into an argument with him had become almost a game. That was how they regarded one another, in a sense. In fact, at times he hated her for being so stubborn. He just wished she would need him. Underneath the anguish, bitterness, and overall intensity, however, their relationship had grown quite immensely until--until Hinotama found Kei. Up until that point, Jerrid had never realized how deeply he felt for her. All of those moments, frozen in the deadlock of debate, he had wasted when what he truly wanted to do was take her into his arms. But alas, that had all been forgotten. Their emotions, the tension...they had all been lost in the chaos.   
  
He could still see her pale, horrified face when she realized that Kei had died...   
  
*~*~*   
  
Cody watched his friend stalk away and climb up onto the mass with a sigh, wondering how he himself had made it quite as far. He, honestly, believed that their situation would worsen rather than improve and had already begun to brace himself for the apocalypse. What more, as a mortal man, could he possibly ask for? Of course, he would rather die than succumb to the fates of his beloved friends and Myou, yet he couldn't help but wonder if it could offer a more peaceful, stable bliss.   
  
"She's moving..." a feminine moan, like a wavering wisp of smoke, wafted up and suddenly clouded Cody's thoughts. Immediately, his bright eyes shot down to the limp form in his arms. Usagi's eyes, no longer the opaque, lifeless orbs of moments before, had brightened. She'd regained consciousness.  
  
Cody stiffened his grip of her, gently hoisting her up into sitting position, her mass of golden hair tumbling forward over her lean shoulders. "Jerrid!" the young man cried, his eyes of desperation darting back and forth between the dazed young woman and his crazed friend. "Lieutenant, she's awake!"  
  
It seemed that the formal address had awakened Jerrid more so than his own name, and at hearing this, the dark-haired man darted from atop the rubble and shot off, his heart pounding. 'And this time...stay awake!' he thought with a hint of internal laughter. The tall, amber-eyed, muscular man clambered to a stop and dropped to his knees, gazing at Usagi expectantly as he panted for breath.   
  
"She stopped because I was gone..." the young woman confirmed and closed her eyes, almost perplexed at her own words. "But, she knows now. And so does the other woman."   
  
"Usagi, listen to me," Jerrid urged, placing his hands gently upon her shoulders. "Look at me, Usagi-hime. Are you all right?"   
  
Usagi's brightened gaze lifted and locked with his. Her flowing mane of gold draped over her shoulders and snaked down her back, giving her the appearance of a ruffled female Amazon warrior when matched with her bright eyes and determined expression. Usagi's eyes had regained their full sparkle and she'd never seen two people more thankful for her return. Suddenly, it was as if a cord had snapped within her, and immediately she entered full consciousness. "Jerrid--I, yes. I believe so," she stammered as she glanced around, still a bit dazed.   
  
"Usagi, are you sure? You've been out for a while," Cody piped up, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. His eyes told the entire agonizing story upon her departure. "We were getting worried."   
  
Usagi returned the smile that the young man offered her and shook her head. "How long?"  
  
"One agonizing half hour, Usagi-san," Jerrid agreed, his eyes smiling. It was a look Usagi hadn't seen very often on him. She realized then the joy that began to shine through his stare, as if his gratitude to have her back were overflowing.   
  
"What did you see? Usa, where did you go?" Cody spoke intently, his gaze fixed upon her. Concern most of all radiated through. "We weren't sure what to think...you just...left."   
  
The blonde haired young woman hung her head with a tiny, rueful smile. "I know. I'm so sorry that I frightened you. But I was meant to be there. Let's just say that I experienced a spiritual awakening...and a friend helped me to cope." Usagi's smile broadened as she lifted her gaze to the murky skies above. 


	20. Angels Fallen

Property of Meirou. Enjoy!  


  
Chapter 20  
  
It was, however, a deep and sudden grumble surging in the earth below that caused Usagi's uplifted disposition to fade. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as the vibration rippled through the ground like a snake, fiercely rattling the hardened dirt, cement, and broken rubble. Pressing her palms against the rough mix, Usagi held her breath. The searing and burning in her chest was enough to set flame to a building. It seemed for even one moment she could not escape the newfound gift that was her curse. Already the young woman was beginning to question its validity...whether it was little more than an implementation to slow her down as opposed to honing her strengths. A sudden explosion within her mind released waves of screaming voices--pleading for their messiah. Voices of the deceased in wait of their princess. The magnitude was deafening. They needed Hinotama.   
  
Meanwhile, the two men watched on in usual confusion as the young woman suffered against her gift--her curse. Cody's gentle touch upon her shoulder seemed to ease the intensity; the continuous growling of beneath them, however, was not especially comforting. Usagi's newly brightened eyes dropped to the rigid ground and suddenly she felt as if that very rumble mirrored the one of fresh despair in her heart.   
  
A moment passed before Usagi's disposition normalized, and her breath came in relatively shallow bursts. Though the searing had faded, Usagi expected that the events to follow would be even more so unpleasant--if at all possible. "Usa, are you in control?" Cody inquired, his hand still on her shoulder.   
  
His query was met with a shaken nod. "I'm all right...but I can't feel her anymore. Cody, I've seen so much. I know where we must go...my kami, the voices. They need her. The very earth is screaming for its savior."   
  
Two pairs of eyes met and, internally, each individual attained the same conclusion. "This isn't good," Jerrid remarked, his deep eyes narrowed. Cody beside him was equally as anxious.   
  
Usagi sharply hushed him, her own eyes now closed. Another fierce grumble below foreshadowed the coming of darkness--impenetrable darkness. Usagi seemed to be the only one who knew what was going on, as the two men simply watched her in awe.   
  
At that moment, Usagi drowned out everything around her in order to concentrate. The young woman invested the very core of her being into connecting with the surrounding environment. Hinotama's spectral presence had faded from Usagi's surveyance--finding her was critical. Kneeling with her fingertips digging into the grainy earth, Usagi sought the truth of a dying universe. She could feel her senses heightening as the rippling vibration lapped at her fingertips through the stationary earth and crept up her spine. The earth was shaking violently now, as both Jerrid and Cody were at their feet and nervously murmuring Usagi's name. She, however, ignored their pleas and focused.   
  
Sure, she'd inexcusably disappeared--but now she was fighting to save their lives. The blonde dug her nails deeper into the ground, willing it to speak to her. Usagi knew within the depths of her heart that in the very ground resided the soul of a tormented planet whose people had been mercilessly slaughtered. That in the bowels of Hino's home, lay the fading energy of a world whose princess was needed. There, she felt, she would find the answers she sought. Instantaneously, the earth began to shiver, more fiercely and with greater magnitude than before. "Time to go, Usagi," Cody proclaimed suddenly, gripping her arm and pulling her into a run.   
  
*~*~*  
  
The solemn echo of bleeps and power surges combined with flickering shelter lights remained the only constant forces then present in the panic-stricken shelter. Derek King shifted uneasily in his folding desk chair, chocolate-hued eyes behind messy blonde hair glued to the wall-mounted computer screens as he busily typed away at central ground scans and security sweeps. The young man knew that sadly, just outside his workspace, lay disaster. The few survivors left alive after Hinotama's sudden antics were befallen with sorrow and ultimately left useless in defense. The mere dozen of young men and adults able to fight were like frazzled fledglings, lost--with flimsy wings--in despairing absence of their mother.   
  
"I don't understand why Cody ever dragged me here...but then again, better living here than dead there," he breathed bitterly, eyes locked on the gate monitors. Since Usagi, Jerrid, and Cody absconded, more than half of the individuals in the shelter began recklessly packing what little they owned in preparation of an evacuation. Where they'd flee to, Derek himself did not know. Even so, the more combat savvy dove head-first into an arming spree, loading weaponry and any available battle material; in other words, the rather modern--though obviously constricted safehouse--spiraled into pandemonium. Furthermore, for the past half hour, non-consecutive roars in the ground below shook the shelter mercilessly and threw every resident into a frenzy of fear.   
  
Derek afforded himself a brief moment of reprieve from his security post--flickering power and all--leaning back in his steely chair with a sigh. The trio had left about an hour and a half ago and since then the security monitors were bleeping with breaches off of the charts. Several small teams were previously dispatched to handle the minute, yet threatening, groups of Scorpia and Fyren--gargantuous flaming birds--that were beginning to gather at the edge of the premise. Already two casualties were counted; no doubt several more had been overlooked in the craze.   
  
"Hino-hime," the young man said softly, shaking his head. He winced at the returning thought of their previous interaction, where she had flipped her lid and ordered him relentlessly in the process of learning of the coming dark creatures. She hadn't always been angry, nor had she been as demanding. The very glitter in her eyes bore more hatred than it did passion. Passion and hatred were two very strong emotions, yet their sources and effects differ greatly. That much Derek knew in observing Hinotama's personal transformation. "But I guess that's what death will do to you...what loss will do to your spirit."   
  
Loss. It was a feeling Derek had never truly been exposed to. Family, friends, and life had always offered warmth, strength, and support. Friends, especially those he would know like brothers. Derek, Cody, and Jerrid, in particular, had known one another long before the time of darkness and peril that was then. Mere months ago they had been reveling in the moment that was life, where their dreams of youth and adulthood were simultaneously achieved. Life had opened up doors and offered chances and opportunities too exciting to pass up. That was why they had been drawn together...together in one place that would ultimately be spared destruction--in some regards.   
  
Cousins themselves, both Cody and Derek King left their home in the massive country of the modernized Republic of Corrisa to join a friend in Leilas for a year-long study abroad. That certain friend was none other than Jerrid Barten, whom of which had already established a residence in the culturally-rich province where his beloved Hinotama happened to live. Each young man then realized that they had entered a new existence in the peak of their early twenties. After a short span of time, their label as foreigners soon faded and their adventure into new lives had commenced. Cody and Jerrid, as comrades in a previous military unit, entered into a part-time service. Derek himself remained ever the computer "geek," working for a small-time, yet successful, company where his skills were praised and revered. Though working somewhat separate fields, the trio maintained a strong bond as they thrived within the boundaries of a literally new world.   
  
Little did they know that only a few months into their stay, their lives would be altered dramatically and changed forever. The people who had touched their hearts were slaughtered; their own friends and families--among the rest of the nations--launched into oblivion. It seemed only the strength of one person prevented the collapse of Leilas...barely.   
  
Another forceful wave of vibration rippled through the shelter, jarring the blonde man from his thoughts only slightly. It was the sharp screeching of metal that could span miles, however, that initially took hold and gripped his instincts. "Derek, we've got a situation!" The panicked shout of another tore the young adult from his reverie and viciously tossed him back into the nightmare that was his post. Suddenly, his skull was filled with equally deafening screams of the monitors. Before his very eyes, hundreds of intruding bleeps lit up the computer screens. Nauseas, dizzy, and horrified, Derek rose from his chair--jaw hanging and heart pounding--as he realized that the entire system had been breached--and they were going to die.  
  
*~*~*  
  
The force of Cody's grip knocked the breath out of Usagi as she fought to stabilize her pace even while running. It wasn't all the time that one was able to interact with a planet. "I nearly had it!" Usagi shouted once she found her voice, irritated that they had interrupted. Her golden mane whipped behind her on the bland air as they ran, jarred by the now consistently powerful quakes. The murky world of dark skies, musty air, and bleak surroundings whirred past in a blur. By now, the previously tame vibration had mounted into a violent ripping, overturning, and shaking of the ground.   
  
"Had what?" Jerrid called back as the trio fled, stumbling and tripping over the churning rubble.   
  
"The reason for this earthquake! The ground is screaming out answers...all I had to do was ask the right questions!" the young woman answered, not angered but overwhelmed. The very fact that she was able to connect with the dying planet was a true sign that her powers were growing in strength.   
  
"Usagi, what the hell are you talking about?" the dark-haired man retorted, taking firm hold of her other wrist as the three continued to run.   
  
"The earthquake is the soul of this dying planet...it's crying out for it's protector, Hinotama. I was trying to connect with the core--those voices I heard...that I felt...they were this planet and its lost!" Usagi replied, hair flapping behind her as they fled. Usagi's pace, however, was thrown off entirely as a torpedo-like mound of earth shot up out of the ground directly in her path. The young women flew backwards, too bewildered to cry out, and landed on a cracking block of cement. Cody and Jerrid, unwilling to allow this obstacle to inhibit their path, grasped the girl firmly until she had her wits about her and ran on.   
  
"Where is Hinotama, Usagi? Did you see her?" Cody shouted, fighting to be heard over the deafening raucous of the shaking. The blonde herself was battling against the unstable earth to maintain a steady foothold.   
  
"She's heading towards the center of this mess...Hinotama is going after Lilith-hime."  
  
The lieutenant glanced over at her, dodging a clump of churning rubble. "Who?"   
  
"Lilith-hime commands the Dark Ones...in fact, she is the Dark One. The hell that has befallen this planet us entirely under her bidding--and Hinotama is going after her. What Hino doesn't realize, though, is that Lilith is waiting for her--for all of us. She knows." The men suddenly ceased in their steps.  
  
"What are you saying, that we have no chance?" Jerrid spat, his eyes flaming. He refused to believe that all of their suffering had been in vain. That Hinotama's torment had been without intention. That his own pain had been without value.   
  
"I don't know!" Usagi exclaimed frantically, her pretty eyes oscillating crazily as she glared at the towering man. "I just don't know...but I do know that if we do not find Hinotama soon, we're screwed. We need her, they need her. Lilith is going to get exactly what she wants unless we can figure this out." Jerrid dragged in a heavy breath and sighed. For a moment, there remained silence between the three aside from the noisy quaking of the earth.   
  
Usagi, however, became decidedly distracted as she felt a distinct searing in her chest begin to rise up again. A tiny whimper was all that she could afford to speak as she pressed her hands to her chest, eyes tearing up. The men quickly went to take hold of and support her as she stumbled backwards, her vision now blinded and her thoughts severed as flashing images of an ultimately dark and lifeless future poured into her very core. Even as the images faded and Usagi regained her stability, an underlying sensation the young woman bore through her connection with her sister remained. Despite the warnings that were gleaming red in her soul, the determined young fighter relayed information to the men of a perilous event that would soon befall the shelter--miles away. Cody went aside to radio in, not realizing that the worst was still yet to come.   
  
Two sighs filled the quaking air as Cody walked away for a moment. Usagi leaned against Jerrid for a moment, thankful to rest. "Do you think that she's unfit to fight? Sanely, without killing the rest of us, I mean?" Jerrid later asked softly, his eyes averted from Usagi's strangely peaceful form. How one could possess such power, such heart, and such innocence was a mind-boggling puzzle to the stubborn lieutenant.   
  
The young woman sighed again, then slowly opened her mouth to speak. The words of reply that filled the air, however, were not her own.   
  
"Well, I don't know," a fourth voice countered sharply, "but why don't you work out an assessment." Three pairs of eyes snapped to one prodigal point where the very object of their discussion had taken the liberty of seating herself upon a mass of rubble. Legs crossed and leaning back against the support of both arms, Hinotama glared down at them, her lips twisted into a dark smile.  
  
  
  
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